


Works of Art

by Lady_Felucia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, kylux - Fandom
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Armitage Hux Smokes, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Developing Friendships, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Force Bond (Star Wars), Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gay Male Character, Hux Backstory, Hux-centric, Kylux - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Parent Han Solo, Self-Acceptance, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Senator Leia Organa, Young Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-01 09:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15140018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Felucia/pseuds/Lady_Felucia
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Armitage Hux has felt as though he has been living two separate lives. There's the life his father has chosen for him, molding and shaping his teenage son into what he thinks of as greatness. Weakness and flaws are not tolerated in Brendol Hux's household, and the results of Hux deviating from the rules are often painful, and brutal.But Hux has a very, very small repite from the perfection that he tries to live his life under: at Academy, he slowly strikes up unlikely friendships with two of the students. With this two, he discovers interests that he wasn't previously aware of, and a way to look at life through more optimistic eyes. His relationship with one, in particular, will help Hux to confront certain aspects of himself that he's been hiding, for a long time.





	1. Chapter 1

Armitage Hux stepped into the shower and turned on the water, jumping a bit as he waited for the coldness to adjust to his preferred temperature of searing hot. When the water was satisfactory, he leaned his head backwards on the tiles, staring up into the grate. His sleep hadn’t been the best the night before, and he probably could have stood for skipping this ritual altogether, in favor of getting a few more moments of rest.

But he couldn’t do that.

In his waking hours, being in the shower was one of the few respites he had from reality. The refresher was the one room in the entire house that Hux felt he had any kind of privacy. A place where he could think, could relax, and, on some occasions, sing; which was what he did now.

The song was one of his mother’s, one that she used to sing to him before bed in the evenings. She had disappeared from Hux’s life when he was around 4 years old. His father told him that she had died, but Hux didn’t believe this. As hard as he tried he could not remember attending a funeral for her. When he focused hard enough, he COULD see glimpses of suitcases, and small black boots kicking up the red-brown dust of the yard beyond the house. Long, red hair, swaying, always walking away in his memories.

As he got older, and before he had learned the proper way to hold a conversation with his father, he had questioned this, only to be met with different answers each time. She was dead, or she had gotten sick and had to be sent away, or she had run off to be with a lover ‘like a common whore’. Or, Hux’s personal favorite: “She must have left because she couldn’t handle the pressure of having such an aesthetically displeasing child.”

By the time he was 10, he stopped asking.

He didn’t think he was ugly, not exactly. In fact, from the few holos Hux had found of her, Hux could see that he looked very much like her. And she was gorgeous.

He sang the words of her lullaby lowly to himself. He didn’t remember a whole lot about the woman, but for some reason, that particular song had stuck with him these 12+ years. But he kept it to himself; one time, without much thought on his part, he began to sing a few lines in front of his father. For that, he received a walloping jab to the neck, and a stern “Stop singing those karking peasant songs!”

The refresher was where the words came out, regardless of whether Hux wanted them to, or not.

“Sing low, sweet bird, over the gentle skies- -“

A knock on the door interrupted him. “Young Master Hux, please hurry, or you’ll be late!”

Hux sighed and shut off the water. “Yes, ma’am,” he called back through the door. He genuinely liked this new maid; she was older than the other one had been, but infinitely kinder. Hux was surprised she had lasted these three months; usually, Brendol Hux had a sixth sense for the servants his son actually liked, and he got rid of them far before now. This was why he hadn’t bothered to learn this new one’s name, no matter how much he liked her. He just stuck with ‘ma’am’ and left it at that.

He got himself dressed, and headed to the table for breakfast. He paused in the doorway, and did a double-take: his father was there. That was odd; it had been so quiet this morning, Hux had assumed he’d left early, like always.

Brendol Hux lowered his newspaper when his son entered the room, and immediately Hux’s heart stopped. To be looked at by his dad, for any reason, rarely ended well.

“Good morning, Armitage,” he boomed in his deep voice. “Did you sleep well?”

Hux nodded and sat down. “Yes, Sir.”

That was all he was permitted to say, unless his father spoke to him again. Brendol Hux wasn’t one to allow idle conversations. Before him was laid out a large assortment of food. Hux grimaced; he wasn’t a breakfast person by any means, but he knew that to complain would be futile. His father was constantly on his case about Hux’s thin build, and whenever he was home, would make sure that the slender boy had more than he could possibly stomach on his plate. So Hux would put his head down, and systematically eat everything before him. It made his stomach hurt, and oftentimes he would suffer through his first few periods of school in a horribly nauseated haze. But to open his mouth and say any of this to his father would result in a far worse pain.

Halfway through Hux’s meal, Brendol got up and walked behind Hux’s chair, putting both hands on Hux’s shoulders. Hux wanted to cringe away from the touch, but he remained perfectly calm.

“You haven’t lost weight, have you?”

“N-no, Sir.”

“Well, I want you to eat hearty today, son, and every day this week. We have a big occasion coming up at the end of it, and I’d like for you to look a bit more filled out.”

Hux turned his head to look at his father, confused.

“We do?”

Hands still digging gouges in Hux’s shoulders, Brendol nodded. “We do. Your academy is having it’s semi-annual formal. I’ve arranged a date for you, with the daughter of a friend. Her name is Cecelia. I’ve seen her a few times; she’s really rather pretty. You’ll thank me later.”

Hux’s heart sank with each word Brendol said. His father did this to him quite often; set him up with the daughters of who he called ‘friends’, or (in reality) men who could be potential financial backers to Brendol’s many campaigns.

But nothing ever worked out with Hux and these young ladies. They were nice enough, but Hux just could not become interested in them, in any sense of the word. And he had tried to tell his father this more than once.

“Father, “ Hux said, trying his hardest to keep his voice from trembling, “Please. This has to stop. No matter how ‘pretty’ they are, I just don’t - - “

Quick, stinging, one- two punch. Hux’s right eye bloomed with heat after the first blow, and lights appeared behind his eyes with the second. He put his hands up defensively, but his father didn’t intend to hit him any more. Brendol stood, looking down on his crouching son impassively.

“Oh, Armitage. I try so hard to help you, but you make it so difficult. Put yourself in my boots; if you had a son, wouldn’t you want the very best for him?”

Hux just nodded, then, thinking his lack of words might set Brendol off again, quickly uttered a “Yes, Sir.”

“Of course you would. Part of being a father is knowing what the best thing for your child is, when they don’t know it themselves. Now, we’ve talked about this; your embarrassing, disgusting gravitation towards ... towards boys; this is just confusion, correct?”

Hux bit his lower lip and nodded.

“And what else?”

Struggling to keep from tears, Hux said the words he heard from his father so often.

“It’s a sickness, it’s wrong, and I need to fix it.”

The entire right side of his face was throbbing, and, despite how hard he worked to hold them in, tears welled from the swollen eye.

“Right. It’s a bad phase that you need help getting out of. But you’re not alone, son.” Brendol’s voice had taken on a tone of understanding kindness, and he gently touched his fingers to his sons hurting face. “I’m trying my best to help you fix yourself, but I need you to help me, help you. Now, you will take Cecelia to the formal. She’s beautiful, funny, obedient, and not that bright; everything that’s desirable in a girl. Do we understand each other?”

A pause, and then,

“Yes, Sir.”

Brendol nodded, clapping a hand, hard, on Hux’s back.

“Excellent.”

Hux Sr. got up and left the table, after telling his son when he would be home later. After he finally left the house, Hux got up and sought out the maid, to ask her to help him conceal the horrific black-blue swelling of his face.

The maid was already waiting for him in the bathroom, having been listening to the exchange between the two men. She had gone to great lengths to sneak the makeup into the house (Brendol Hux didn’t allow such ‘frivolous’ matter with his servants), and even more pains to match the color to Hux’s skin tone.

Hux couldn’t even look the woman in the eye, as she covered up his bruise with the chalky white powder. When she was finished, he quietly thanked her and waited for her to leave, before staring at himself in the mirror. The makeup covered up the damaged eye nicely; although Hux couldn’t get it out of his head, that he was wearing women’s makeup. Shame, on top of shame.

Before he left, he asked the maid to send his best dress shirt and pants out for cleaning, so that he could be prepared for the formal at the end of the week.

After all, maybe Cecelia would be the one.  
The one .... to fix him.

— -

Hux passed around the worn square column for what felt like the hundredth time, as he watched the events going on below him. The other students were playing some primitive game involving throwing hard spherical objects at each other, in an attempt to incapacitate and overrun the enemy team.

Hux was glad to be away from it all; his feelings of inadequacy would have really peaked during such a barbaric display.

Hux felt inadequate all the time, really, but Physical Education was where it got to be overwhelming. The only thing he could do well, was move quickly. He was an excellent runner, and, if his father had approved it, he would have gone out for the track team. But Brendol had torn up the permission slip, saying that Hux shouldn’t be rewarded for ‘shamefully’ turning his back on REAL sports and instead opting to ‘run away’ from manhood.

If he caught the instructor in a good mood, he would be able to convince him to let Hux run laps for the hour, rather than participate in whatever team sport was taking place. Today had been a lucky day for him, and he ran around and around the high track above the gym, watching below.

When it got towards the end of the hour, Hux snuck out a few minutes early, to take a quick shower before the other boys filled the lockers. He always felt such a sense of self-loathing, at his desire to look at the other boys. He knew it was wrong, and he wished more than anything he could fix this flaw in himself. But until he could make the thoughts go away, he figured it was best to just remove the temptation altogether, hence showering and dressing in the locker room on his own whenever possible.

When he was done, he dressed quickly, and then was out the door just as the dismissal bell rang.

His next period was Basic Literature, one of Hux’s least favorite classes. The instructor spent far too much time on analyzing poetry, for Hux’s taste. Nevertheless, he had the highest mark in class, and could more than afford to skip a session every now and then.

So instead he headed outside to the small terrace between buildings. It was an area students and teachers alike would frequent, to take breaks, or to smoke, which is what Hux did.

Surprisingly, his smoking was something that his father not only knew of, but approved. Apparently filling his lungs with a toxic substance fell under the category of Masculinity to Brendol Hux, so more often than not, he’d buy Hux the cigarettes himself. He had tried to get Hux into smoking pipes, like Brendol smoked himself, but Hux wasn’t quite ready for that, just yet.

Hux climbed on top of one of the stone tables, lighting up and closing his eyes. It had been unusually warm out lately, and the air was pungent with the smell of dying flowers.

“Hux!”

A voice from several feet away interrupted his relaxation, and he opened his eyes. Ben Solo was walking towards him, his notebook in his hand.

Ben was someone that Hux had known for almost his entire life, in a limited capacity. Ben’s mother was Leia Organa, a fellow Senator to Hux’s father. Therefore the boys went to many of the same political-social events, and they had many of the same acquaintances, other children of senate members.

Hux didn’t really have much of an opinion on Ben, aside from thinking he was annoying at times. They had a few classes together, and, as far as he could tell, the tall boy was a real slacker. He frequently turned in assignments late, or not at all; and more often than not, he was criminally far behind in his note-taking.

Which was why he was seeking Hux out, now.

“Hey, man; can I copy your Body Sciences notes from the last class?”

Hux dug the notebook from his bag and flipped it to the page in question, wordlessly handing it to Ben. Ben sat down and copied the notes in his horrifically sloppy handwriting. As he scribbled, he said,

“So I take it you’re skipping this period, too?”

Hux just mm-hmm’d him. He was tired, and sore, and in no mood to deal with Ben Solo and his incessant talking today. He hoped that Ben would take the hint from Hux’s abrupt language and leave him alone, but no such luck: the guy was born to irritate. Ben finished his note-taking and closed Hux’s journal, handing it back to him.

“You know those are bad for you, right?”, Ben said, moving from the chair to sitting on top of the table next to him.

Hux blew out a cloud of smoke. “So is everything else in this life.”

“Seriously. Are you trying to die before you’re 40?”

Hux flicked the rest of the butt to the ground, watching as it streamed out on the pavement. “40? That’s way too long; I’m hoping to be out of here before 20.”

Ben laughed, clearly thinking that Hux was joking. Either that or he was horrible at expressing appropriate emotion.

“You’re kinda young to sound so suicidal, aren’t you?”

Hux shook his head. “Not really. This galaxy is going to hell anyway. My father says we’ll probably be in another war before long. So really, what’s the point?”

Ben burst out laughing, so hard that his face turned a bright red. Hux didn’t respond. When Ben calmed himself down, he wiped tears from his eyes and said,

“Maker, Hux; talking to you is always wonderful, in so many ways.”

He reached down and pulled up his school bag, fishing around in it until he came up with a small wrapped bar.

“Here, take this,” he said, shoving it into Hux’s chest.

Hux read it. “Chocolate? No thanks,” he said, attempting to hand it back. “I don’t like chocolate.”

But Ben wouldn’t take it back. “Nobody doesn’t not like chocolate, Hux! I swear if you make me laugh any harder today, I’m going to sprain a rib.”

Hux just rolled his eyes, but he tucked the bar into his own bag, carefully, in the front pocket.

“Do me a favor, if you skip any more classes today, don’t let it be Grammar. You clearly can’t afford to miss any of those.”

Ben burst into laughter again, and this time, Hux couldn’t help but join in, a little.

“You’re kind of an ass, you know that?”

Hux nodded. “I know. Be proud of who you are, I always say.”

Ben nodded, and then he stood up. “I’m going to go back into the land of normalcy now. Don’t forget about that chocolate; chocolate releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are what gives people that happy feeling.”

Hux nodded. “Good to know. Thanks.”

“See you later, man.”

He slung his satchel way over his shoulder and walked back into the building, whistling. Hux watched him go, thoughtfully.

He smells really good,Hux thought to himself, taking a sip of his water. He’s not exactly ugly, either. Not at all. Interesting face, and - -

Forcefully, painfully, Hux stopped his train of thought, feeling lividly angry with himself.

Dammit, Armitage, STOP with that! Don’t you want to be NORMAL?!

A few tables to the left of him was a group of girls, also smoking, laughing and talking away. Hux turned himself subtly so that he was facing them, and lit another cigarette.

As he looked, he forced himself to pick out pleasing physical characteristics of the group.

The blonde has a nice nose. The short one, her breasts are kind of big, I guess. I think the one with the brown hair is in my math class. She’s bumped into me a few times, before: she has really soft arms.

A sinking feeling filled his heart, the more Hux thought to himself. No matter how hard he tried, he felt no desire, physical or otherwise, for any of the girls. The same as with all the other girls in school, or anywhere. He hated himself for this weakness that his father despised in him, and wished he could just be fixed.

Hate turned to despair when a boy from his history class walked by the doors, and Hux immediately wondered what it would be like, to touch his incredibly soft-looking lips.

Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!, he chanted in his mind, his hand that wasn’t holding his cigarette clenched into a tight, painful fist.

The toning of the warning bell saved him from his torment, and, sighing, he began putting his papers back into his bag. He was going to crush out his cigarette underneath his boot, when he noticed there was still a good bit of material left for smoking. He snubbed out the end, instead, preserving it.

Waste not, want not, his father always said.

And Hux Sr., was always right.  
About everything.

So Hux the second tucked the stub carefully back into the pack, and headed inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Once every few weeks, the large, gray public building nestled in the center of the city hosted an informational forum, with the local members of the city council and the public. The council members in Coruscant were also part of the galactic senate. It was a chance for members of the council to announce any upcoming plans they had, any bills or reforms they wished to introduce to the senate at large. It was also a chance for them to make not-so-subtle requests for financial donations and backings for their particular platform.

Attending these public debates was something that Hux’s father had tried to encourage for years, but had always been met with reluctance from his son.

Tonight, for the first time in almost ten months, Hux made the voluntary decision to go. Not because he was interested in whatever the candidates were going to talk about, exactly. But tonight a new tax bill was supposed to be spoken about, and his math professor was offering extra credit to anyone who attended this debate, and wrote a short paper on the financial aspects of the bill. And Hux, needed the extra credit. Math was his worst subject, and the last test he had taken, he hadn’t done so well on.

Hux took one of the available seats in the back row. Brendol Hux noticed his son right away, and gave him an approving nod. He was standing next to Senator Organa, and she followed Brendol’s gaze, her eyes landing on Hux. Hux smiled as charmingly as he could, while Brendol leaned close to her and whispered something. Hux knew that whatever his father said, was good. He was quick to praise his son to other people; it was only behind closed doors that the truth came out.

He was watching his father and Senator Organa so closely that he jumped when a hand clamped down lightly on his shoulder.

“Didn’t expect you to be here.”

Hux looked up into the face of Ben, with some surprise.

“Yeah,” he said, as Ben sat beside him. “I need the extra credit from Moniguill, so ... “

“Ah. Smart. I’m here because she made me come,” he said, pointing down at Leia Organa. “She says I spend too much time alone watching holos, so here I am.”

Hux nodded, taking a small notebook from his pocket to take notes. He really wished that either Ben would move, or he would miraculously shut up for the duration of the evening. Hux needed to concentrate, and he had no time for Ben’s ramblings.

Thankfully, once the speeches got underway, Ben took a cue and stopped speaking, leaning forward intently once the talking commenced.

Hux didn’t say this, but he was mildly fascinated whenever Ben’s mother spoke. It was surreally odd; in History, they had studied a great deal about the galactic war, and the rise and fall of the Empire. Leia Organa has been written about in-depth, and her story was by far the most compelling to Hux. By every stretch of the word, she was famous; royalty, even.

Yet the woman had such a down to earth way about her, and a manner of being that unconsciously drew everybody into her. Her speaking voice was very low and soft, yet firm. And she spoke on everything with such a conviction that you couldn’t help but take her side of whatever argument was being presented.

Glancing sideways at Ben, it was easy to see that he had inherited these enviable qualities from his mother. He had that same natural charisma about him that attracted others.

He couldn’t help but notice, though, that mother and son shared very little physical resemblance, outside of the exact same warm-brown eyes. Leia was slender and petite, whereas her son was tall and muscular. Ben’s skin was much paler, and his deep raven hair stood in noticeable contrast to his mother’s soft brown locks.

Hux’s own father’s speech made him cringe. Brendol’s voice boomed throughout the room, echoing off the walls. Hux had always been of the opinion that the louder a man spoke, the more attention he was trying to steal from everyone around him. Ben’s mother spoke so low that one almost had to lean forward just to hear her; but her words made more of an impact than even the burliest-voiced among her peers, Brendol included.

After all the speakers were done for the evening, an informal period of questions and answers took place, where spectators could approach the council members one on one for clarification on any number of points.

Hux made his way down the aisle, Ben in front of him. When they reached the podium, they were closest to where Leia sat. The two stood quietly, waiting for the melee to die down long enough to get her attention.

“Hey, mom. Loved your speech. Riveting.”

Leia rolled her eyes and smiled. “Sarcasm will get you nowhere, young man.”

“I thought your speech was good, too, ma’am.”, Hux told her, smiling . He had met her before, of course, but he still felt shy with each encounter.

“Thank you, Armitage. I appreciate that.”

“Oh, so you believe him, but not me?”

“Looks like it. How’s school, honey?”, she asked, directing her question at Hux.

“It’s good, thank you.”

“Your father was telling me that you earned high academic honors for the last semester grades. Congratulations; that’s something to be proud of.”

Ben rolled his eyes, and before Hux had a chance to respond, he said, “I got decent marks, too. Maybe not high honors but at least I passed everything. Where’s my congratulations for that?”

Leia grabbed her son and began kissing his cheeks. Ben playfully struggled to get out of her grasp, looking embarrassed yet pleased. Hux watched them, a painful feeling in his chest. He wished that Brendol was that loving, with him. When she let him go, Ben surprised Hux, by asking,

“Is it alright if Hux comes over for a bit? I need help with my math homework, and he took this class the year before me.”

She turned to Ben and said “Of course; be sure you ask Brendol first. Honey I’ve got another few hours here, at least. Have C-3PO drive you boys home in the shuttle, and when you’re done, have him take Hux home as well. Okay? And not too late, it’s a school night.”

“‘Kay, mom,” he said, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

Hux told Ben to wait for him, then he walked quickly across the room to his father’s table, where he was discussing something or other with a small group.

He stood quietly until he had his father’s attention.

“Yes, Armitage?”

Hux explained his desire to him, ending his request with a subtle “Senator Organa said it would be fine, with your permission, of course.”

Brendol smiled, and Hux knew enough about him to know that he was pleased. The fact that Hux told his father (in front of a group) that the son of the brilliant Leia Organa needed Brendol Hux’s son’s help in his studies, was satisfying to him.

“Very well. I may be here for a few hours yet, but I expect you to be back at home and in bed, at no later than 2200 hours. Understood?”

“Understood. Thank you, Sir.”

He walked back to Ben, feeling relieved, and the two headed outside down the steep marble steps of the civic building.

“Apologies in advance for 3-PO,” Ben whispered, as they approached a small shuttle with an older model gold droid standing in front.

Once Hux met the droid, he felt he understood a little, where Ben’s propensity for talking so much came from. C-3PO never stopped speaking, from the moment they got in the shuttle until they pulled up to Ben’s house. After awhile, Hux noticed that Ben was asking him very specific, somewhat complicated questions, and was writing down what the droid said on paper.

As they got out of the shuttle, Ben whispered to him,

“I use him to ‘help’ with my Math problems. But he thinks I’m just asking random questions. If he knew, he wouldn’t answer, because both of my parents have warned him about that.”

Hux grinned and shook his head. “While I don’t approve of cheating, I’ve got to say, that’s really, really brilliant. But wasn’t math what I was supposed to come help you with?”

“Nah. I just wanted to hang out with you, but I figured you’d need a real-sounding excuse to come over.”

“You thought I wouldn’t want to hang out unless we were doing schoolwork? That I needed an excuse? Really?”

“Oi. No, no, not for you, for your dad. He seems kinda strict.”

You have NO idea, Hux thought to himself.

Ben’s house was lovely. It was smaller than Hux’s own, but vibrant and colorful. And it felt alive in here, in a way Hux’s own house did not. The somewhat worn furniture, the boot scuff marks along the floors, the lingering aroma of freshly baked goods ...

Ben lead him into the kitchen and offered him a piece of springberry pie, saying his mother had made it earlier. He cut them both huge pieces, and poured glasses of blue milk. Hux took an experimental bite, and sighed with pleasure. He wasn’t much one for desserts, but this, was excellent. He took a bigger bite and asked, casually, “Your dad’s not home?” He asked because he had never met Ben’s father, and had only seen him a couple of times before in public.

“Er, no. My, uh, my parents are separated. That’s kind of a secret, by the way, so don’t tell anyone. But yeah. They’ve been living apart for almost a year.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hux said quietly. “Can I ask why it’s a secret?”

“It’s because of my mother’s image, I guess. You know a huge part of her campaign platform is always about Family; I guess she feels people wouldn’t take her seriously if they knew her own family was broken apart.”

Seeing the way Hux was looking at him, he rushed on:

“It’s not bad, though. Everything’s a lot more peaceful without the fighting. And Dad will come and visit every so often, and he’s always here to be mom’s escort when she has to go to one of those fancy functions.”

“Is your dad in politics, too?”

Ben scoffed. “No. He and his friend have a trade business that operates out of the mid-rim system. He doesn’t get along with people like mom does; he has one of those shoot him first, ask questions later kind of faces.”

Hux took another bite, before saying,  
“I don’t think I could shoot anyone. I mean I guess I could if it was self-defense, maybe. But I guess that don’t matter; I never learned how.”

“You never learned how to shoot a blaster?!”, Ben exclaimed, looking shocked. He grabbed Hux’s arm and yanked him off the stool, dragging him towards a small door to the left rear of the kitchen. “You have to let me teach you!”

Hux planted his feet and held back. “Uh, I don’t know, Ben. You — you have blasters in the house?”

“In the basement. My dads got a whole target practice range down there. It’ll be fun, I swear.”

So Hux followed him apprehensively down the narrow white steps. The basement was much larger than he’d anticipated, with what looked like older model bot-droids positioned at the far end of the room.

Ben went to a little box and flipped a switch, and suddenly all the little targets were moving around, some quick, some slow, all in semi-chaotic patterns. Now that the light was on, Hux could see that each bot was riddled with holes and black-blue blaster marks.

“Here, I’ll let you use this one to start with; it’s an older model, a phase 2, and it doesn’t have as hard of a kick.”

Hux took it gingerly into his hand, keeping his finger well away from the trigger.

“No, no, you’re holding it all wrong,” Ben said, shaking his head. He moved behind Hux and used both hands to take a hold of his shooting arm, moving Hux’s fingers into the correct positions. Hux couldn’t help but become hyper-aware of how close Ben was to him, and how warm he felt. It made him feel funny, but he tried to push the thought from his mind and concentrate.

“The most important aspect of shooting a blaster is confidence,” Ben said from behind him, his hand still positioned over Hux’s. “Remember that a blaster is just a tool, and YOU’RE in control of it, not the other way around. And don’t be scared.”

Hux nodded. Ben moved Hux’s hand in the direction of one of the slower-moving targets. “Now, keep both eyes open, focus, aim, and _squeeze_ the trigger, don’t yank.”

He moved away, and Hux took a deep breath, doing as he was told. Ben was correct in that the older model didn’t have much of a kick, but it was still enough to knock Hux back half a step, where he bumped into Ben.

“Sorry,” he muttered. His shot had managed to graze the head of the bot, but just barely. Hux was frustrated; he wasn’t used to not doing things perfectly the first time.

“Okay, that was good,” Ben told him, repositioning himself behind him. “This time, aim not for the bot, but for where it’s going to be. Like, watch it for a few seconds, see which ways it’s going.” He took Hux’s hand and pointed it to a few inches right of where the bot was. “Like this. Then you time the shot to match with when the bot will move.”

This second time, Hux had a significant improvement. His shot hit the bot dead-center, knocking it back into the wall behind it. He had braced his foot this time, as well, so he wasn’t pushed back.

The two practiced for a while, Hux thoroughly enjoying himself the more he improved, until Ben laid down his own blaster and said,

“You want to see something really wizard?”

Hux nodded, and Ben walked to the far corner of the room, to a box. He pulled out something and came back across the room with it.

Hux stared in awe. He had only seen holos of what Ben was showing him, but never up-close like this. The object was long and silver, an intricately carved hilt.

“Is that .... that’s not a lightsaber, is it?”

Hux knew about the long, complicated history of Ben’s family. He had studied about them in history, and had heard the stories being told all his life. Ben’s grandfather was Darth Vader, a former Jedi that embraced what was called the ‘dark’ side of the Force and was the right hand man of Emperor Palpatine, another Force-user, during the reign of the Empire. Luke Skywalker, Ben’s uncle, had defeated his father and had a large role in ending the Empire. Since then, Skywalker has been traveling the galaxy, finding other young Force-users to study under him and learn the ways of the Jedi.

Hux had seen him once, a long time ago, at a council meeting. He had been there to convince the senate to provide funding to the Jedi temple. Many, like Hux’s father, had been opposed to the idea; but in the end Luke, with the persuasive help of his sister Leia, had obtained the credits needed to start his own school.

Ben nodded, grinning and passing it off into Hux’s hand. Hux turned it around and around, examining it, being careful to keep his finger away from the trigger.

“It belonged to my grandfather,” Ben said quietly, and Hux could notice the reverent tone that his voice had picked up. “Well, my grandfather, back when he was Anakin Skywalker. My uncle Luke had this for a long time, then he gave it to my mom, to keep safe.”

”Does it work?”

Grinning, Ben said, “Press the button, and see,” and then he immediately took several wide steps backwards from the redhead.

Hux took a deep breath, and ignited the saber. His hand dropped almost immediately; the thing was MUCH heavier than he’d anticipated, when it was active. The blade of blue light filed the entire room, and with the light, a previously absent feeling of energy, of _power_.

Hux didn’t hold it for long, however; this weapon struck him as being more dangerous than ANY of the blasters they had just been using. So he switched it back off and handed it to Ben once more.

”That was ... that saber is ... the feeling ...”, Hux said, trying unsuccessfully to articulate what he meant. But Ben seemed to get what he was failing to say; he simply nodded, and set the saner carefully back in it’s box.

”I know. I feel that way too. Luke left it here for safekeeping.”

“Your uncle ... he has that Jedi temple, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So ... why aren’t you there, with him? I mean, he’s family, right?”

Ben shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m not ‘talented’ like that.”

“You mean you don’t have the Force?”

For a second, Ben’s eyes changed, and his lips parted slightly, as if he had something he wanted to say to Hux, about the matter. Then it seemed he quickly changed his mind, as he said, 

“Nope. I guess I’m just boring and normal.”

Hux handed the saber back to him, gently. “There’s nothing wrong with being normal, you know. And you’re far from boring.”

Ben smiled, his entire face lighting up. “Really?”

“Really.”

— -

About an hour later, after the boys had eaten more pie and Ben had shown Hux his bedroom (he had an impressive collection of Imperial-era stormtrooper helmets lining his shelf, which had been fascinating), Hux reluctantly conceded that it was time for him to go.

Ben walked him out to the shuttle, where Threepio was waiting.

“Thanks for inviting me over, Ben,” Hux told him, somewhat shyly. “In case you can’t tell, with the exception of school and my dad’s meetings, I never get out.”

Ben nodded. “No problem. You should come over more; mom is gone so much I’m almost always alone.”

Hux nodded. “See you at school tomorrow,” he said, before getting into the shuttle.

The ride to his own house was fast, punctuated with the droid babbling on about something or other; but it wasn’t too fast for Hux to think.

Ben must be lonely, he thought to himself as the ship whizzed along. No siblings, his dad’s gone, and his mom is always busy. Kind of like my dad.

Except in Hux’s case, he was relieved when his father was gone, not lonely or disappointed, as Ben seemed to be. 

“I should invite him to my house, this week,” Hux said, not aware that he was talking out-loud.

“Pardon me, Master Hux?”

Hux smiled and shook his head. “Sorry; nothing, C-3PO,” he said, closing his eyes for the last few minutes of his trip home.


	3. Chapter 3

“Armitage! Come in here, son!”, his dad’s voice boomed out from the living room. Hux sighed and dropped his satchel to the floor; his father only spoke like that when they had company. He quickly looked in the little mirror across from the door, making sure he looked presentable, before going in.

Brendol stood there in the center of the room, a drink in his hand. Standing by next to him, also with a drink, was a tall, skinny man in a dark gray suit. And next to HIM, looking as though she wanted to be anywhere else, was a girl.

“Armitage, you remember me telling you about Captain Boudin, don’t you?”

Hux did, and he firmly shook the man’s hand, to please his father.

“You’re Armitage? Why, from the way your father talks about you, I expected somebody older,” the captain said, smiling. 

“What he lacks in age he makes up for in maturity,” Brendol said, turning that (false) smile onto his son. “Son, this is Phasma, the captains lovely daughter,” he continued, gesturing to the girl. “The captain and I have some business to discuss, so I thought it would be nice if you entertained this young lady for a bit.”

“Of course, Sir. I’d be happy to.”

Hux had suspected that something like this was going to happen. Over the past few nights, during dinner, his father had been telling him about a new member of the exclusive social club Brendol was apart of. The man, a former Captain of the Coruscant army, had apparently invented a new type of shielding to be used for planetary defense mechanisms, putting him and his family in a much higher financial circle.

“He has a daughter, about your age,” his father had said off-handedly, looking at Hux over his paper. “You may have already seen her; she started at your school last week. She’s much taller than the average woman, but not bad-looking at all.”

Hux had nodded, knowing without asking that, at some point, he would be ‘encouraged’ to go on an outing with the girl. Whenever his father smelled the opportunity to gain new investors for his campaigns, he seized on them, ruthlessly. And part of his maneuvering would involve sending his son to become ‘friendly’ with the daughters of said targets. Hux hated this, for obvious reasons, but found it less painful to just accept what his father set up, rather than try and protest it. And this month had been going well for Hux, something he didn’t intend to ruin for himself. His father was in better moods, as he often was when he was working on a new project. This meant less interaction with his son, leaving his son to spend more leisure time ... with Ben.

The two had spent the last several weeks visiting at one or the others homes, watching holos, helping each other with schoolwork, and a variety of other things. Just last week, Hux had gone over and Leia had been home, for once. She made the most delicious meal Hux had ever eaten, and introduced him to something with which he had been wholly unfamiliar: pleasant family dinner table conversation. 

Not that Hux was a part of Leia’s family; but she made him feel comfortable in her presence, and that was enough for Hux.

Hux had never in his life had an actual friend before, and the concept was both exciting, and overwhelming. Ben had a way of looking at the world, and at situations, that was vastly different from anything that Hux could think of himself. To talk to him was a release, for Hux. A way to get out of his mind, to escape the problems he faced at home.

Problems like the one he faced today.

His father had been right, the girl was tall, but incredibly pretty. Fair skin, ocean-colored eyes, and long, white-blonde hair. Hux couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated, upon meeting her; he knew that he was quite lanky himself, and this girl overshot him by a few inches, at least.

Nevertheless, he was polite.

“Hi, I’m Armitage,” he said, extending his hand. “But you can call me Hux.”

She took his hand and shook it, and Hux winced; she had an incredibly strong grip. As tall as she was, as beautiful, there was something about her that vaguely reminded Hux of a wild animal. She seemed extremely uneasy in the presence of other people, and she had yet to even look Hux in the eye. Hux got the feeling that if her father wasn’t standing there, she would have bolted right out the front door.

“You two kids have a good time,” said his father, using a voice that could almost pass as friendly. “Armitage, I’ve made a reservation for you at Contello’s; give them my name at the podium. A shuttle is waiting for you outside.”

Hux nodded and started to head out to the shuttle, pausing by the door so that she could exit first. She was still standing by her father, giving him a look that was almost like silent begging. He gave her a firm but gentle push in Hux’s direction. “Go on, child. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

She hunched her shoulders and followed Hux out the door and to the waiting shuttle, as their fathers looked on. Once they got in, and the droid sped off into traffic, an awkward, heavy silence fell over them both. Hux tried to break into it with conversation.

“So you just started at our school, huh?”

She nodded, still not looking at him.

“Where did you go before?”

“Lady of Ilego”, she said, her voice so quiet that Hux could just barely hear her.

“I’ve heard of that before. It’s an all girls school, right?”

She nodded. She didn’t really seem receptive to speaking about this topic, so he scrambled in his mind to think of something else to say.

It scared Hux, quite badly, when she started to cry out of nowhere. Not quite knowing what else to do, he fumbled his handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to her, warily.

“Oh, I hate this!”, she wailed, taking the cloth and blowing her nose. “Ever since we made this money, things have been so different! My parents are never home anymore, the made me come to this stupid school and leave all of my friends behind, and dad keeps making me go on dates with all these snooty sons of bitches!”

She blew her nose again and then quickly looked at Hux. “Not you; you’re nice. I mean, you MUST be nice, considering you’re letting a girl you don’t know ruin your evening with snot and tears, right?”

Without stopping to think about it, Hux smiled, and said, “I like you.”

Phasma looked up from her handkerchief. “R-really?”

“Yes. I think you may be the first girl I’ve ever met, who said exactly what she was thinking. That’s amazing.”

Phasma let out a little hiccuping chuckle. “You call it amazing, my dad would call it unladylike.”

“And I’ll tell you something else; my dad pushed me into this, too. He’s been doing this for years.”

Phasma sighed and wiped her eyes again, seeming as though she had calmed down some.

“Some date, huh?”

“This isn’t a date. This is two friends, about to have a really good night, courtesy of their parents’ credits.”

She looked up at him.

“F-friends?”

Hux nodded. “Yes, friends. I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of REAL friends, except for one other person, but you’re more than welcome to join my merry group of rejects.”

She leaned across the seats and hugged him, startling Hux. But it was nice; she was warm, and she smelled quite pleasant. Hux looked out the window; they had arrived at their destination, and the droid got out of the drivers seat and came around to their door, holding it open for them.

“Shall we?” Hux asked, stepping outside and holding out his hand to her.

She smiled, and took it.

— -

At school, after the weekend, Hux met up with Phasma, to show her where the smoke area was, something that she had had yet to encounter on her own.

“I’m out here, most likely sitting at THAT table,” he told her, pointing, “Between classes. So if you need to talk or anything, or you want to cut class, you can come find me out here, okay?”

She nodded, looking relieved at having discovered this new way to temporarily escape.

“Thank you, Hux. I appreciate that.”

He shrugged. “It’s no problem; what are friends for?”

The first warning toll sounded for class, and Phasma sighed, all the nerves coming back into her body. 

“It’s okay,” Hux told her, timidly patting her back. “You won’t feel that way anymore once you get used to it here, I promise.”

She nodded, and then she gave him a quick hug. “Okay. I’ll see you later, then,” she said, before walking off.

Hux turned, intending to head to his own class, and very nearly ran into Ben. But the greeting Hux had for him died away on his lips, when he got a look at Ben’s face.

Ben’s dark eyes were blazing fire, and Hux could feel, he could literally FEEL, that Ben was working hard to restrain himself. He was clearly angry about something. So his calm tone of voice didn’t fool Hux for a second, when he asked him “Who was that girl?”

“Who was ... oh! Oh, you mean Phasma? The tall blonde?”

Ben nodded.

Hux explained to her how he had met the girl, and the evening they had spent together.

“She’s so lonely here, Ben. She needs friends. I told her about YOU, and I plan to introduce you later, if that’s okay.”

Ben nodded again, and most of the tenseness slipped out of him. He seemed a little embarrassed, of his reaction before. And Hux was confused by it. It almost, _almost_ seemed as though Ben was —

But no. That couldn’t be the case, could it? Surely an interpretive mistake, on Hux’s part. Now Ben was speaking again, his voice sounding like normal.

“She’s really beautiful, isn’t she?”

Hux nodded. “She is. She’d better watch herself, considering the leeches that walk the hallways here.”

“True. You’d better hurry and snap her up, while you’ve still got the chance.”

Hux started to laugh, and shook his head. 

“No, thanks. I mean, she’s nice and all, but I like her as my friend. I wouldn’t want it to go past that.”

“Why not?”

“Because ... because I’m not interested in her.”

“Not your type? Well, what kind of girls do you prefer? Short, tall? Blonde, brunette, redhead? Smart, dumb, etc.?”

Hux could feel his face turn red, and he looked down at the floor.

“Well, which is it, Hux?”, Ben asked, still pushing him. “Are you a butt man, a breast man, a ...”

Hux turned on his heel and abruptly walked away, fleeing to the outside smoking area. He sat at the table farthest down the wall, head down, hunched far down in his clothes.

After a few moments, Ben walked timidly out to join him, looking incredibly guilty at having upset him.

The two sat on the table in silence, and then Ben was saying, cautiously, “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you, if that offended you in some way. I was just curious; I mean, you said you’ve already had a date with this girl, and she’s pretty, and seems to like you. So why —“

“If I told you, you wouldn’t want to spend time with me anymore.”

Ben put his hand on Hux’s arm, giving it a quick pat. “That’s not going to happen. I promise.”

Taking a deep breath, Hux turned to face him, and told him the words stuck in his throat.

“I ... I ... I don’t like girls, Ben. I mean, I do, as friends. But not any other way. I try, I try really hard to, but I don’t ... I can’t ...”

He looked up fearfully at Ben, expecting to see the same disgusted, angry look on his face that had been on Brendol’s face, when Hux had first tried to confess this to him.

What he saw, was ... understanding. And concern.

“Hux. I’m sorry, man. If I’d known ... I never would have asked you that. I’m sorry.”

“Wait; you’re not ... what I said doesn’t make you sick?”

Ben shook his head. Then he leaned close, and whispered, “What you just told me ... am I right to assume that it’s a secret, of sorts?”

“Yes. Why?”

“No reason. Hey, after school, 3-PO is taking me to the marketplace on Chandrilla. There’s supposed to be a man there selling Imperial relic artifacts from the forest moon of Endor. You should come. You, and Phasma. I’d like to meet her.”

— -

After obtaining their parents’ permission (which wasn’t hard; in fact, Hux’s and Phasma’s father’s were delighted that the two wanted to spend time together, again. Brendol in particular was thrilled; his financing negotiations with the Captain were going very well, and this helped to further sweeten the pot), Phasma, Hux and Ben, driven by C-3PO, made the hour long trip to Chandrilla.

This was one of those off the beaten path places that his father likely wouldn’t have approved Hux going to. The people here were poor, and somewhat rowdy, and they regarded the three well-dressed Academy kids with mild suspicion.

But Ben seemed right at home. He had clearly been here a few times in the past; he stopped and spoke to many of the traders.

“My dad used to bring me here all the time,” Ben explained, when asked. “A lot of these people, the stuff that they’re selling is likely stuff that they had smuggled to them by him.”

Ben’s meeting with Phasma had gone well, too, much to Hux’s relief. As it turned out, they both had the same almost-obsessive love for Imperial artifacts, and, when they reached the booth in question, spent nearly an hour carefully looking over every single item on the table.

“What do you think of this?”, Phasma asked, holding up a pair of antique earrings.

“Those are beautiful,” Ben said, taking them and holding them up to the light. The sun shone through the clear jade, dotting his face with little green spears of color. “Are you going to buy them?”

Phasma shook her head. “I would, but they’re for pierced ears. My father won’t let me pierce my ears.”

Ben laid them back down, and suddenly, his breath caught. He gasped, making both Hux and Phasma turn towards him, startled.

“Excuse me,” Ben said to the proprietor, “Where is this from?”

He was holding a small bowl, white-gold with tiny blue flowers carved around the edge.

“That? A small planet, not many have heard of. It’s from —“

“Is it Alderaan?”

“Yes! That’s odd; nobody ever knows what I’m talking to, when I say that. Yes, it’s from Alderaan. I bought it from a man who had been off-planet at the time of the ... well, the incident.”

Ben was all but salivating with excitement. “How much do you want for it?”

“For you? You’re a nice young man; I’ll let it go for 20 credits.”

“20 credits?”, Hux said, stepping forward. “But look; it’s got a small crack right there!”

“But for such a unique item? Surely you can overlook a minor fault for a thing of such rarity.”

“10 credits.”

“15.”

“Done,” Ben said, taking the bills from his wallet. The man gave him paper to wrap his treasure in, and Ben tucked it carefully into his satchel. 

They found several other trinkets, as well. Hux found an ornate sword that had belonged to the Huttease family, Phasma found a beaded necklace that had been carved from the smoke-stones of Dathomir. And Ben found three different blasters, two in perfect working condition and one that he thought he could fix.

They thanked the man and left, heading back to the ship.

“Why were you so excited over that bowl?”, Phasma asked curiously.

Hux had heard this before, but Phasma hadn’t. So Ben spent some time explaining to her about his mother’s home planet,and how it had been destroyed by the Empire.

“My mother ... she was forced to stand and watch it happen,” Ben said, softly. “I can’t even imagine that, having to watch everything you’ve ever loved, everything you’ve ever known — all taken away in one fiery shot. I know she misses it. It’s so rare that you find anything that survived.”

Hux patted Ben’s shoulder. “She’s going to love that bowl.”

“Yes, she is,” Phasma concurred, as they got back on-board the ship.

They dropped Phasma off first, Hux getting out and walking her to her door, for the benefit of her mother, whom Phasma suspected was watching from behind the window-curtains.

The ride to Hux’s house was odd. He had a gut feeling that Ben wanted to say something to him, to tell him something. Possibly something related to what Hux had confessed earlier in the day. 

But he didn’t say anything.

Hux got out at his door, after the two exchanged their usual joking departure comments about school. He stood and watched as the shuttle drove off, still unable to shake that weird static-tingle.

You’ve just been out in the sun too long, he told himself, as he went inside. 

He couldn’t wait to hang his new sword above his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

“You’ve been seeing quite a bit of the girl, haven’t you?”

Hux nodded. “Yes, sir.”

And he had been. What his father didn’t know, was that their ‘dates’ were simply friendly outings, and that they were almost always joined by Ben. But this was excellent, and exactly what Hux wanted his father to believe. Since he had started ‘dating’ Phasma, Hux had been subject to no more awkward social setups from Brendol. And Phasma was benefitting as well; her parents, being ambitious society-climbers, liked the younger Hux, and were enthralled that their daughter was ‘dating’ the son of a high-ranking man. They gladly donated large sums of money for Brendol’s political campaigns, and Brendol introduced them to many others in his elitist world.

It was a win-win for everyone involved. 

Well, almost. 

Hux sat on the terrace outside of school early one morning with Phasma, waiting on Ben to join them. He needed to broach a possibly awkward topic with her, but wasn’t quite sure where to start.

“My father is happy that I spend so much time with you,” Hux blurted out, not looking at her.

“Mine feels the same about you.”

Hux took a calming puff of his cigarette, before going on:

“You know they ... all of them believe that we’re together, right? Together as in, we’re more than friends.”

Phasma held out her hand for his cigarette, and he passed it to her. She wasn’t really a smoker, at least not at the level Hux was, but she did enjoy a few puffs of his from time to time.

Exhaling a small cloud, she responded,

“I’m aware of that, yes.”

He took it back and held it in his hand, watching the smoke trail out above their heads.

“Do you ... er, you don’t think of us that way...do you?”

“Ugh! No!”, she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. Then she quickly put her hand on his arm, half-hugging him.

“Wait, I’m sorry, that sounded bad. But it’s just ... you know I don’t have any siblings. I kind of think of you like ... like a brother. So when you asked if I thought of us as being together ...”

“That IS rather disgusting, when seen in that context,” Hux supplied, smiling. 

“You want to hear something even more disgusting? Last week, both of my parents came into my room and talked to me about, um, physical love. About being ‘safe’ and all.”

Hux burst out laughing, dropping what remained of his cigarette to the ground. “That must have been so fun for you,” he said, as his bellows tapered off into snickering. 

“It was. Highlight of my life, that was.”

He was relieved, because he hadn’t wanted to hurt Phasma’s feelings, if she had felt the other way about him. As of yet, he still hadn’t told her the truth about himself, and it would likely be sometime before he did so, if ever.

Now she leaned fully against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t think I could ever be intimate with someone I didn’t 100 percent love. If I ever did fall in love with someone, I’d want to feel it, you know? I mean REALLY feel it, all the way down in my bones. I’d want it to be so that just the thought of that person made my heart burst, and every time they touched me, I’d have goosebumps the size of mountains run all over my body.”

Hux smiled. “That all sounds like some incurable disease; not love,” he said dryly, teasing her.

Phasma sighed and lightly smacked him. “What do you know about love? You’re a boy, after all; boys are idiots when it comes to these things.”

At that moment, a hand gripped the necks of both of them, and each jumped, scared. Phasma flinched so hard that she nearly fell off the table, and she whirled around, staring into the smirking face of Ben.

“Maker! What are you doing sneaking up on us like that?”, she exclaimed, straightening her clothes.

“Yeah; you just knocked ten years off of my life,” Hux said, climbing down from the table.

“No, those cigarettes are what knocked ten years from your life. I just woke you up a little. Come on; the toll is about to go off, and I can’t afford to be late to my class again.”

Hux and Phasma gathered their things, and Phasma went into the building ahead of them, wishing them a good day. Hux and Ben lingered a bit behind.

“You guys seemed pretty deep in conversation,” Ben observed, as they headed for the door.

“I guess.”

“Anything I should know about?”

“No,” Hux said, shaking his head. “Nothing interesting, really.”

Ben nodded, and then he looked at Hux closely, frowning.

“Are you cold or something? You want to borrow my sweater?”

“No, man. Why?”, Hux asked, confused.

Ben shrugged and said, as he walked through the door,

“I don’t know; your arms are full of goosebumps.”

— -

A few nights later, Hux was gathering up his schoolwork from the kitchen table. He had been working on his homework, and now, finished, he decided to make a snack and go to bed. His head was bent in the conservator when he heard a knock on the front door. Hux went to answer it, and was more than a little surprised to find Ben standing there ... AND Ben’s mother.

“Hello, Armitage. Is your father home?”

“He is,” Hux said, standing back to let them pass through. He caught Ben’s eye and gave him a baffled look, but Ben would only grin at him. He led them into the living room and told them he’d get his father.

He walked down the hall to Brendol’s study door, and opened it cautiously. His father was at his desk, and he looked up irritably when his son walked in.

“How many times do I have to tell you—“

“I’m sorry, Sir, but Ben and Senator Organa are here.”

Brendol quickly straightened up, looking in the mirror and smoothing down his hair, before following his son out.

“Leia; what a lovely surprise,” Brendol said , smiling. He took Leia’s small hand and kissed it. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit?”

“I’m here to talk to you about your son, actually,” she said, causing Hux to sit up straight in surprise.

“What has Armitage done?”, his dad asked, immediately assuming the worst. 

“No, no, it’s nothing bad. As you know, the council just elected me to go to Naboo, to assess the condition of the art museum?”

Brendol nodded. A few days ago, the council had received a request from the curators of the museum on the lush planet of Naboo, asking for funding for building restoration. As was their custom, the council would first send one member to thoroughly inspect the building, first, to assess whether funding was warranted. After some debate, Leia has been elected to go, as she was familiar with the area in question.

“Yes. Well, I’m leaving in about three days, at the end of the week. Ben is coming with me; it’s never too late to introduce young people to the arts, is it?”

“Very true.”

“I was thinking, though, it might be more entertaining for him, if he had a friend along while I’m doing my inspections. So I was wondering if your son would like to accompany us.”

Hux felt excitement leap into him, and it was all he could do to maintain his composure, sitting next to Ben.

“They wouldn’t miss any school,” she went on. “We’d be leaving after their final classes, and be back the night before they resume again. Just the weekend, really.”

Hux could feel his father’s hesitation, and he prayed that he wasn’t about to say No. Ben must have felt it, too, because he spoke up:

“In school, the arts professor always offers extra credit to students who visit the museums of other places, and gives a report to their class. So it would be educationally beneficial to both of us.”

Finally, miraculously, Brendol consented. “Very well. Armitage could do with some culture.”

To his son, he said, sternly, “Of course I’ll expect you to be on your absolute best behavior with Senator Organa.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Leia smiled and stood up, and the men followed suit. “Thank you, Brendol. I’ll speak more to you about the details, when I see you tomorrow.”

“Surely you don’t have to rush off so quickly?,” he asked her, putting a hand on her arm. “I couldn’t persuade you to have a drink? Your presence here is like a light; it’s not often that I have such beauty gracing my home.”

Hux looked at his father, and a sudden thought occurred to him: Brendol was attracted to Leia. The way he was acting with her right now, uncharacteristically humble and uncertain, was very similar to ... to flirting.

Glancing at Ben, Hux could tell that he noticed it, too. His jaw was clenched, and his left eye had done that quick, spasmodic twitch that it often did whenever Ben encountered a situation that irritated him.

Hux knew that Ben’s parents, although separated, were technically still legally married. But he also knew that Brendol could be relentless, when he wanted something. And this was just a small glimpse of it; what was he like with her, when they were at work together for hours and hours each day?

But Hux quickly forced the thought from his mind, not yet prepared to deal with the implications of such a thing. Besides, it didn’t seem as though Leia was interested anyway. She gave Brendol a charming smile but politely declined his offer, and then Hux and his father were seeing the two of them to the door.

Hux had a hell of a time falling asleep that night; he couldn’t wait until morning, to talk to Ben about their trip.

— -

Hux had had very little experience with going off-planet, in the past. When he had been younger, he and his father used to go once a year to visit Brendol’s mother on his home planet of Arkanis. Hux couldn’t remember these trips, or his grandmother, very well at all. What he COULD remember was the excitement of feeling the final lift as the thrusters of the ship kicked it, taking them out of Coruscant’s orbit and into the blackness of space.

He felt that same kind of excitement, even more so, as he sat on Leia’s ship with her and her son, and she set the course for Naboo.

“It’s heartening to me, to see two teenage boys so excited about visiting an art museum that they can barely sit still in their seats,” Leia said, teasing them.

“You’ve never been to Naboo, right?”, Ben asked Hux.

“No. I haven’t.”

“Well, don’t get too excited. It’s mostly just a LOT of green.”

But even that was exciting to Hux: on Coruscant, greenery was a rarity, and the foliage that did exist was often tinted gray with the smoke and smog of the city.

Hux’s breath caught when they approached the planet, and made their descent: so many trees! Were trees supposed to be as tall as the buildings back home? And a lake! A REAL lake, looking cool and clear and unpolluted, shimmering in the early morning sun. Hux’s face was practically pressed to the glass of the ships window, as he took in all the sights below them.

The area where the museum was, was so inconspicuous that at first Hux wasn’t sure they were in the right place. The building was large, but circular, and it was the only one for what seemed like miles around. Yet it must be, because they could see dozens-of people milling about, going in and out, and having picnics in the tall grasses outside.

They parked and went inside, where Leia was greeted right away by the proprietor if the museum, a short, husky man named Trenton.

“Senator Organa!”, he exclaimed, rushing to greet them, “I’m so honored that you’re here, and that the Council is taking the time to hear our pleas.”

He turned towards the two boys, and eyes Ben with a smile on his face.

“Surely this boy isn’t your son? Little Ben Solo?”

Leia smiled. “It is.”

“Maker; he’s taller than YOU!”

He shook Ben’s hand heartily, then Hux’s, once Ben introduced him.

“Well, boys; we have a lot of area to cover today, and I have a lot of things to look at. Will you both be okay on your own, if I go with Trenton for a few hours?”

Both of them nodded.

“Food?”, Ben asked, grinning, hoping she’d give him credits.

“Don’t worry about that; everything is complimentary for you all today,” Trenton told him with a smile. He took an pass out of his pocket and handed it to Ben, to wear around his neck. “There are food stops on every level of the building. Show them that pass, and you won’t be charged for anything.”

Ben thanked him, and then watched as he led Leia off on the first leg of their journey.

Turning back to Hux, he said,

“So what do you want to look at first?”

— -

From the outside, it hasn’t seemed as though the building boasted as many floors as it did. 

Ben and Hux were kept remarkably busy, going from exhibit to exhibit, trying to make sure they saw everything there was to see. Over an hour had passed before they even finished with the first floor; and they were only LOOKING. Leia’s job was much more difficult; she had to not only see the exhibits, but to see everything surrounding it, to take copious notes and assess the structural conditions of the entire building.

By the time they reached the second floor, Ben and Hux (mostly Ben, as his stomach was loudly grumbling) decided it was time to take a food break. Hux went and found them a table in the snack area, as Ben headed to the counter and ordered them a head-turning amount of food.

“You know,” Hux said, as Ben set the final plate down on the table, “Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you have to eat them out of business, Ben.”

Ben just grinned and began shoveling food into his mouth.

“My dad says you’ve got to know when to take advantage of a situation,” he told Hux in-between bites.

The third floor was by far the most interesting, because it was full of kinetic art exhibits. There was one with a round object that, when touched, made the hair on the head of both boys stand straight up. There were optical illusions that made their bodies look long, then short, then split into halves, and more.

One exhibit, called “The Hole in Paradise”, was particularly fascinating. It was a hole in the floor that one could see straight down, and looking down revealed images of cloaked figures, of angels and animals and luscious scenery, all cavorting around each other. Then the man-made light was flipped, and the image slowly melted away to reveal demons, and people with spears, and stampeding animals.

To see this one you had to stand directly over the hole and look straight down. Something about standing there and seeing the rapid changes made Hux feel dizzy, and for a second he felt like he was going to plunge down the tunnel.

Then Ben gripped his hand, steadying him, returning him to a vertical center.

“Don’t fall in, Hux! If I lose you my mom will never let me invite a friend anywhere with us again!”

Hux chuckled ... and then he noticed that Ben hadn’t yet let go of his hand. The feeling of Ben’s fingers on his own created a strong humming tingle, and it made Hux feel even dizzier than looking down the hole did. Ben must have felt this, too, because he abruptly let go, looking mildly embarrassed as he shoved his own hands deep into his pockets.

At that moment Leia came up behind them, saying that she had inspected enough for today, and they’d come back tomorrow for her to finish the rest. It was about time for them to check into their hotel on the other side of the city, where their luggage had already been taken.

Hux looked at his watch in surprise; the entire day had passed in the blink of an eye, and he and Ben still had several floors to go. 

Still, he was tired, and looked forward to what they might see tomorrow.

— -

The shuttle ride to the hotel was companionably silent, all three of them worn out from all the walking they had done during the day. They went to the front desk of the hotel and got the room key, and Leia let loose with a yawn so wide that she nearly fell over, as she unlocked the door.

The rooms were lovely. A thick, soft carpet, and multiple windows that looked out on the courtyard below. There suitcases were all lined up neatly on the floor, in front of Leia’s bed. There were three rooms; Leia’s, which boasted a large, temptingly soft looking bed, a refresher, and a room connected to the refresher, the boys’ room, which was supposed to have TWO —

Wait.

“Kriff! I specifically asked that they give us a room with two beds in my adjoining room, not one!”

“Relax, mom; the bed is huge, we can just share.”

“Oh, good,” Leia said, relieved. She knew that this hotel was rather booked at the moment, and had been dreading the hassle of possibly switching rooms. “Alright, then, kids. I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep. Do me a favor and keep it down to a dull roar in here. You can order from room service if you like but nothing too expensive. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hux said, and Ben went to hug his mother, kissing her cheek. “Night mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, baby. Goodnight.”

She left them alone, going into her own room and closing the connecting door behind her.

Ben turned to Hux. “Do you want to order food?”

Hux shook his head. “Not unless you want to; I’m really tired.”

“Me, too.”

The boys took turns going into the refresher, to wash up and change their clothes for bed. As Hux always got cold during the night, his nightclothes consisted of a long sleeve shirt and ankle length pants. But Ben chose to wear shorts, and a sleeveless undershirt. Hux couldn’t believe that he had never noticed before, how ... how big Ben’s arms were. He felt that he was staring, but it was only when Ben noticed him staring that Hux was able to break his gaze, slightly embarrassed. 

“Ben ... if, if it makes you uncomfortable at all, to share a bed with me, I wouldn’t be offended. I could make myself comfortable on the floor with a blanket and pillow.”

But Ben shook his head, turning down the covers. 

“The only thing that would make me uncomfortable is if you hoarded all the blankets. Now come on,” he said, climbing in.

So Hux got into his own side, being careful to keep an appropriate distance from Ben.

“I hope you won’t be disgusted with me, Hux. I always have trouble falling asleep in strange places.”

Hux turned towards him, laying on his side. “Have you ever tried counting moofs?”

Ben chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think that would help me.”

“What about telling yourself a story?”

“Telling myself a story? Really?”

“Yeah. I do it all the time when I can’t sleep. Eventually you wear yourself out, talking out loud like that.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t know about all that. I’d rather listen to a story than tell one. Why don’t you tell me one of yours?”

Hux shrugged uncomfortably. “You don’t want to hear mine; they’re stupid little kid stories that ... that my mom use to tell me, before bed.”

Ben reached across the bed and gently touched Hux’s arm. “If it’s from your mom, it’s NOT stupid. At all. I’d love to hear one; please?”

“Okay,” Hux said, preparing himself. “Once upon a time, in a place far from here, there lived a young prince named Armitage. Armitage lived in a palace by the sea, with his beautiful mother, Queen Anaelynn, and —“

“Was that your mother’s name? Anaelynn?”

“Yes.”

“That’s really pretty.”

“Anyway, the young prince liked to go out each day by the seashore and collect the colorful rocks that —“

“Big rocks or small rocks?”

“Both. Anyway, Armitage—“

“Was he collecting rocks in sunshine? Or was it raining?”

Hux rolled his eyes and smiled. “Does it matter?”

“Yes it matters!”

“Okay, fine, it was partly cloudy, and drizzling just the tiniest bit. Okay? Satisfied?”

Ben nodded. “Okay. Continue, please.”

Hux went on for a while, until he noticed that Ben had stopped asking questions. Looking over at him, he saw that he had fallen asleep, his hands curled around his pillow.

He watched him for a long time, his head loaded down with all that they had seen that day, and all that they would see tomorrow.

All those beautiful works of art, Hux thought to himself, But not a single thing in that museum compared to Ben’s face.

As soon as the words formed in his mind, he bit his lower lip, disgusted with himself. He knew he shouldn’t think things like that, especially about the person who had become like his best friend.

_Friend._

So he forced himself to stop looking, turned over and faced the opposite wall. Eventually, after some time, the gentle sound of Ben breathing behind him lulled Hux to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

“So, we’ve been getting to be pretty close friends, right?”

Hux looked up, surprised. It wasn’t like Ben to ask such direct questions, or at least not those KIND of questions. They were at Ben’s house, sitting in the living room and doing their homework. Leia and C-3PO were both gone, leaving the two alone for the evening.

But Ben had been acting strangely, or at least it felt that way to Hux. Fidgety, restless, and it seemed like he was having trouble focusing on his relatively simple assignment. And now, the odd question.

“Yes, I suppose.”

“So would you say that, if you had to, you could trust me?”

Hux looked at him warily, not sure where this was headed.

“Trust you, how?”

Ben shrugged nervously. “I don’t know, Hux. To - - to have your back, I guess. To keep any secrets you might share with me. Like that?”

Hux nodded slowly. “I suppose so, Ben. I mean, you’re already keeping one secret of mine, right?”

“Yeah. So by that logic, does that mean I could trust you, too? With - - with a secret?”

Hux got up from his place on the chair, went and sat down directly beside Ben. That staticky hum was stronger the closer they got to each other, and Hux felt like if he reached out and touched Ben right now, he would receive a hell of an electric shock. But he ignored all of that and said to him, as soothingly as possible,

“You can trust me with a secret, yes. Is - - is something wrong?”

Ben bowed his head and looked down at the floor. He was quiet for so long that Hux wasn’t sure whether he’d answer or not. Hux was about to repeat his question when Ben said, so low Hux had to lean in to hear him,

“You know how I’ve been telling you that I don’t have the Force, like how my grandfather and uncle had/have it?”

Hux nodded.

“Um, that’s not entirely true. Over the past year, things have been . . . happening, with me. Small at first, and I still can’t control them very well, but still happening.”

“‘Things’? What do you mean by - -“

Hux’s jaw dropped in awe. In front of them, the caf table was levitating several feet off the ground. Ben’s face was furrowed in concentration, and his left hand was held out towards the table, shaking just the slightest bit. With a huff, he withdrew his hand and the table thumped back to the floor. The glasses of blue milk that had been sitting there shook and rattled, but didn’t spill.

Hux stared at Ben in a prolonged silence, honestly not sure of what to say. Ben looked at him anxiously, his nerves bleeding into the air around them.

“So. So, you can use the Force.”

Ben nodded.

“And you want this to be a secret. Because if your mother found out - -“

“They’d send me packing to my uncle Luke’s Jedi academy.”

Hux nodded. Then he did something that took every ounce of his courage; he reached over, and timidly took Ben’s hand into his own. Ben seemed surprised by the unexpected gesture, but he didn’t yell, and he didn’t pull away, like Hux feared he would. So Hux took a deep breathe and said,

“I have no choice but to keep your secret, because if you were sent away, I would ... I think that I would die. Can I tell you a secret, too?”

Ben nodded. He and Hux were still holding hands.

“My secret is, I, uh, well, I like you, Ben. N-NOT as a friend. Well no I mean I like you as a friend, but I like you as more, too. Much more. I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way, and if you didn’t, if you _don’t_ , I don’t want to lose your friendship, because - -“

But Ben pulled his hand out of Hux’s, quickly stood up, and walked out of the room. Hux sat on the floor, staring numbly at his feet. He felt cold all over, as if somebody had dropped a handful of snow down the back of his shirt. He knew it. He knew he never should have said anything; now he’d ruined the one thing in his life that gave him any reason to be happy.

A few moments later, Ben came back in, a set expression on his face.

Hux stood up, his hands out, pleading.

“Ben, please; I’m sorry! Please don’t hate me! Don’t - -“

Ben took hold of his face, and before the startled Hux had time to react, Ben was kissing him. He moved his hands from Hux’s cheeks to around his waist, gently backing the both of them into a corner.

When he finished, he pulled away and looked at the thoroughly shocked redhead with a small smile.

“Did - - d-did that just happen?”, Hux whispered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ben nodded. “I’m sorry about earlier; but I thought if we were going to kiss, I didn’t want you to taste the garlic sauce I was eating before. So I had to brush my teeth.”

Hux laughed, and then Ben was kissing him again. Hux was in so much shock, he could barely register that he had just had _his first kiss_ , something he had never thought would be possible.

“I have wanted to do that, for so long,” Ben told him, his hand gently trailing down the side of Hux’s face.

“Well, I wish you had done that sooner,” Hux said, teasing him. “If you HAD, we could have spent a lot more interesting nights than playing sabacc or watching the same holos a hundred times.”

“I wasn’t sure before. I thought I was going crazy. But hearing you say the words I’ve been thinking for months, well - -“

“So. So, just so I’m clear; I like you, and you like me. We like each other.”

“More than friends.”

Hux connected his lips to Ben’s once more, some small part of his mind marveling at how good this felt, how sweet, how perfect; how _**right.**_

“More than friends,” he agreed, hugging Ben to him tightly.

— -

Hux took a quick, surveying look around to make sure no one was watching, then he casually opened the door and stepped into the little room.

It was dark, the only light coming from a nearly opaque high window, and the acrid smell of dust mixed with cleaning chemicals immediately made him sneeze.

He stumbled around, hand held cautiously in front of him, when suddenly something put both arms around his thin waist and tackled him against a wall.

Lips were crushing his almost immediately, and despite how startled he was, Hux found himself smiling against the kisses.

“It’s about time,” Ben said, moving his lips from Hux’s mouth to his neck. “I’ve been waiting in here forever.”

Since Ben and Hux’s mutual confessions several weeks ago, they had been inventing multiple ways to see each other in a romantic setting. Both boys, Hux in particular, were afraid to do anything with each other publicly, because they feared what the reaction would be from their parents and their peers. They hadn’t even told Phasma yet, although, being far from stupid, they suspected that she might have surmised just a tiny bit about what was going on.

And doing anything at either of their homes was risky. Physically, they were extremely drawn to each other, and set on indulging that attraction. Holding each other, touching, kissing — they’d get so wrapped up in each other that they lost focus of the world around them, leaving them vulnerable for anyone to walk in the room and the see them with each other in that way. But their relationship was new, and exciting, and they were willing to suffer a little inconvenience in order to continue exploring what they had.

So they got creative with it. This, today, was Ben’s idea. He had found a little supply closet in the school that was very rarely visited by the staff, perfect for the two of them to catch some private time in a public world.

Hux hugged him. He looked around, his eyes having adjusted a little better, and saw that Ben had set up a makeshift table, a large crate in the center of two smaller square crates to use as chairs.

“You can’t tell me that the cafeteria is better than this,” Ben said, as he led Hux to his seat. He pulled his satchel unto the table and pulled out a large container of some kind of pasta, two bottles of fizzy-drink, and two chocolate treat candies.

“You really planned this out, huh?”, Hux asked, as Ben pulled two small plates, and began dividing the pasta between them.

Ben nodded. “Not the most romantic restaurant in the world, but, well . . .”

“Did your mom make this?”, Hux asked, inspecting his plate.

Ben nodded. “She did. I think she was a little suspicious I asked to take so much with me, but hey, at least she didn’t ask questions.”

The two began to eat the cold yet delicious food, telling each other about their days. Hux felt a bit guilty; this was his actual lunch hour, but Ben was missing a class to be here with him. Next time, Hux would cut one of his classes.

When it was time to go, Hux helped Ben straighten up the little area, and put away the utensils.

“So what do you have next?”

“Social sciences,” Ben said, grimacing. “My favorite. What about you?”

“History. But that actually IS my favorite.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know; because it’s indisputable. Kind of like math, where there’s a set way to work out a problem. History is like that. Things that have happened, have happened. You can’t change the past, you just memorize it. It’s organized, and it stays where it’s supposed to.”

Ben nodded. “That’s an interesting way to look at it. I feel that way about Engineering. Fixing things is relaxing, and it makes you feel so good, when you can make something better that was broken, right again.” Here he stopped, uttering a small chuckle. “I guess I share something with my father, after all.”

Hux nodded, and then he gave Ben a brief, warm hug.

“Have I ever told you that I like the way you smell?”

Hux blushed. “You’ve mentioned it, yes. Thank you.” He turned and began making his way to the door, stamping a bit louder than normal to shake out his stiff legs. “I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Um, Hux?”

Hux, his hand on the door button, turned his head.

“Yes?”

Even in the darkness, Hux could see that Ben’s face had turned red.

“I, er, that is - - well, I love you.”

Hux’s eyes widened, and he took his hand off the door and walked slowly back towards Ben.

“You what?”

“I love you.”

When Hux didn’t recover immediately to respond, Ben quickly said,

“I know, it’s way too soon to say that. I’m sorry. You don’t have to say it back if - -“

“I love you, too.”

Ben looked into Hux’s eyes, hopeful but afraid.

“Do you mean that?”

Hux put his hand on Ben’s cheek, and gently kissed him. He could feel that a few tears had spilled over Ben’s eyelashes, and he used his thumb to wipe them away.

“I love you, too,” Hux repeated when he pulled away. Then he hugged him and gave him a final kiss on the cheek, before the sound of the bell ringing caught both of their attentions. Hux waited until it was safe and then he slipped out the door and walked swiftly towards his class. Ben waited a few moments, then did the same.

Neither of them got much work done the rest of the day.

— -

“What are we doing here?”

It was Phasma who asked this, looking at the front of the old, tiny shop the trio stood out in front of.

Over the course of the past few weeks, Ben had been practicing using the Force more and more. He was getting good at it; but he couldn’t help but feel as though he was missing out on something. He had very poor control and sketchy focus, and he wasn’t sure how to rectify these issues. 

And it wasn’t as if he could ask his mother; if he did, she’d likely latch on right away to Ben’s secret, and send him away to her brother before he could blink an eye.

And he didn’t want that.

So he thought, he would have to do research on the subject himself, and learn as much as he possibly could on his own. The holonet didn’t provide much in terms of answers, most of what he read being mythical stories about the Jedi and the Sith, and their involvement in the wars from the past. So Ben thought his next best bet would be to find actual paper books, ones that he could read and study on his own time.

Which is why the three of them were here, now.

“I need both of you to help me find books. Anything at all about Jedis, or the Force.”

Phasma raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Taking a deep breath, Ben took her hand, and said, quietly,

“I can use the Force.”

Her jaw dropped. “No, you can’t!”

So Ben demonstrated for her, by using the Force to unhook the necklace from around her neck and float it in the air by her face.

“Oh, Maker —“, she said, weakly.

“It’s new, this thing. It’s new and it’s scary and I need help understanding it, so I thought it would help, if I could find books, or something, you know?”

He also answered her obvious question, about why he didn’t either ask his mother, or go to his uncle. At the end of his explanation, Ben looked down at his feet. “I understand, if this makes you uncomfortable, or you think I’m a — a freak, now. I would have told you sooner but I was afraid of what —“

She threw her arms around him fiercely, hugging him.

“I would never think that about you, Ben! You’re my friend and I love you, no matter what!”

He hugged her back, smiling. Then she shocked him by continuing:

“I love BOTH of you, no matter what. So if there’s anything ELSE you’d like to tell me, now’s a good time.”

Ben and Hux looked at each other, then at Phasma.

“Do you ... have you already guessed?”, Hux asked, timidly.

“I might have. I’d still like to hear it from your own mouths, though.”

Hux reached over and took Ben’s hand, squeezing it.

“Phasma, Ben and I are together.”

She nodded and smiled. “Okay. Thank you. From now on, no more secrets, no more hiding. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” both boys answered, before the three of them shared a group hug.

“Alright, enough of this emotional nonsense,” Phasma joked, as she pulled away. “Let’s get going; we’ve got books to find!”

— -

“So, Armitage. How are you, son?”

Hux’s hackles were immediately raised. It was before bed, and Brendol had unexpectedly called Hux into his study, where he was surrounded by variety of papers from his city office. His father almost never inquired as to his well-being, nor said anything to him in as polite, almost friendly, a tone as he was using now.

“I’m doing well, Sir.”

Brendol looked down at his papers. “Have your quarterly progress report here, from the academy. Apparently you’re doing splendidly well in all of your subjects; even your marks in math have risen considerably. Well done, Armitage.”

“T-thank you, Sir.”

His father peered at him closely, and Hux could feel a sweat trying to break out on his face.

“You’re looking much more solid than usual, son. Less skinny. More built.”

“I’ve taken your suggestion and have started a regiment at the school fitness club gym, Sir.”

This was true. Ben had somewhat gotten him into physical fitness, and the two, along with Phasma, stayed an hour after classes each day, exercising in the newly built on-campus gym, for students and faculty. Ben was attracted to lifting weights, and his enthusiasm had rubbed off a bit on Hux.

Brendol nodded. “Well, it’s certainly noticeable. Keep it up, and before long you’ll look more like Senator Organa’s boy. He’s extremely well-built for his age, wouldn’t you say?”

Now Hux DID start to sweat, completely unable to help it.

“Y-yes. Sir.”

“I haven’t seen you bring Phasma over much, recently. You two didn’t have a falling-out, did you?”

The reason Phasma wasn’t over much was because the trio, when they could hang out, preferred to do so at Ben’s house. But Hux couldn’t tell his father that, or Brendol might question why Hux didn’t make the effort to spend time with Phasma, alone.

“No, Sir. Er, since the start of the new semester, our classes have changed, and our workloads have increased, leaving us with less opportunities for leisure.”

“Regardless, be mindful, son. Women can become overly sensitive and emotional when they feel they aren’t being given enough attention. You don’t want her to slip through your fingers, do you?”

“No, Sir.”

Brendol smiled at him, and that smile made Hux feel sick to his stomach.

“I’ve been rather busy these past few weeks, working on these tax reforms,” Brendol said, finally taking his eyes from Hux’s face and returning them to his papers. “So busy, I’ve forgotten to tell you about a few new changes to our security system.”

Hux’s face was drenched now, and it was all he could do to remain on his feet.

“Changes?”, he asked, his voice wavering just slightly.

“Yes. Mainly, the implementation of security cameras. Really rather convenient; they’re the size of a coin but record everything with great detail. I’ve had one put in every room of the house, including your room.”

“Why in my room?”

Brendol looked back up at him, his eyes boring into his Hux’s.

“You’re my son,” he said, as if the answer should be obvious. “Of all the things that are in my possession, which should I want to keep the closest eye on, to ensure it’s safety, if not for you?”

Hux couldn’t answer, he couldn’t move. He could hardly breathe. Had his father seen something? His memories jumbled themselves up, and he tried desperately to remember exactly what he and Ben had done in his room in the past few weeks. Kissing, obviously; but had it gone further? Or had they saved the more intense, the experimental, the intimate encounters for Ben’s house? Hux’s panic wasn’t allowing him to remember.

And even if they HAD just stuck to kissing; what was he going to say to his father about that? He had just lied and told him that his and Ben’s interaction with each other had been mostly casual and school-related.

And the way Brendol was talking to him, so calmly, saying such nice things - - everything felt wrong.

“You can go now, Armitage,” Brendol said, his voice returning somewhat to normal. Hux nodded and turned on his heel, relieved to get out of there. 

“Armitage?”, his dad asked, as he reached the door.

Hux turned slowly. “Yes, Sir?”

Brendol stared at him for a few long moments, and Hux came within a hair of breaking down and confessing everything right then and there. 

But his father just gave him that same unsettling smile, and said,

“Goodnight, son.”


	6. Chapter 6

Hux was sitting at his desk, doing his homework, when his father walked in. Hux was genuinely surprised to see him; he hadn’t expected him home for several hours, yet.

“Working hard, Armitage? Got time for a chat with your father?”

Hux immediately tensed up, on-edge. Even more so when his father took hold of the chair he was sitting in and wheeled it to the center of the room, with Hux still in it.

“Yes, Sir.”

“I’ve been doing some thinking, son, and it occurs to me I’ve done you a bit of a disservice.”

Hux tilted his head, confused. “H-how so?”

Brendol was walking in slow circles around Hux’s chair, making him uneasy.

“Well, you’ve been seeing that lovely young lady for so long, now, and I realized that I never gave you a proper talk, about sex.”

He paused behind his son’s chair, putting both hands on his shoulder. Hux could just barely keep from cringing. “Or maybe I’m too late, for that. AM I, son? You spend some late nights in her company, don’t you?”

“I ... uh ...”

“But I remember what it was like, to be young and in love with a woman. I’m just grateful we’ve finally corrected your little abnormality, from before. Doesn’t it feel good, Armitage, to finally be normal?”

“Dad ...”

“Or maybe you _don’t_ know what that’s like, still. Do you know what’s amusing?”, Brendol asked, going back to slowly circling his son. “I was with Boudin last night, at the fundraiser. Do you know what he told me? He said his daughter has been sick this whole week, and out of school. The doctor has put her on bed rest until she’s over her virus. Am I mistaken, or did you tell me last night that the two of you had been out almost every night this week, which is why you’ve been coming home so late?”

Hux swallowed, but didn’t respond. His father was in front of him again, towering over him.

“Another amusing fact; Senator Organa told me yesterday that her SON has been out late every night this week, as well. That’s an awfully big coincidence, isn’t it?”

Still Hux said nothing; but to his credit, he never broke eye contact with Brendol.

“Armitage, I feel I’ve given you more than a fair chance, to be honest with me. So, son, is there anything at all, you wish to confess?”

Hux stood his ground and said, as confidently as he could, “No, Sir.”

“No?”, Brendol had said, narrowing his eyes. He walked across the room and picked up Hux’s school satchel off the floor. On the inside of the shoulder strap was a small, barely-noticeable knob, that Brendol pulled right off.

He held it up, showing his son. 

“You remember me telling me about the new security cameras in the house, don’t you, son? High-resolution holo recordings, superb sound quality? _As small as a coin?_ ”

He placed the little button in the frozen Hux’s hand.

“I’ve had that on your bag for over a month. Now, I’m going to ask you, again, is there anything at all you want to tell me?”

— -

Tap tap. Tap tap.

At first Ben wasn’t even sure what he was hearing. He thought it was part of his dream, but it was so insistent.

Eventually he fought his way out of sleep and sat up in bed, feeling disorientated. It took a while for him to adjust to the dark, and even longer to acclimate himself to the (real) noise in the room.

Tap tap, tap tap.

Window. It was coming from the window.

In a daze, Ben crossed the room to the window, thinking maybe a bat was flying against the glass. He jumped back a step, startled, when he saw it was a person. A person, wearing dark clothes, with a hood pulled up so far it was covering their face.

“Ben! Open up, please!”

Hux?

Ben looked again, a wave of unreality washing over him. It WAS Hux, standing in the moonlight beneath the window. Ben quickly opened it and reached out, taking hold of Hux’s forearms and helping him climb inside. 

“This is a surprise,” Ben said, facing away from Hux as he closed the window. “While I appreciate such a romantic gesture, coming to see me so late, I’m a bit tired, so —“

The rest of what he had to say died, when he turned back around to face him.

Hux’s lip was cracked in three separate places, distorted and swollen. Huge black marks, in the shapes of fists, enclosed both eyes. A good deal of blood crusted along the sides of his face, and was still actively gushing from his nose. Hux had the sleeve of his sweater held there, now, trying to staunch the flow. The sleeves of his sweater were both torn, and Hux’s pale shoulders were so red they looked raw.

“Oh Maker! What happened to you?!”

Hux sat down at the end of Ben’s bed. He was shaking quite hard, although he didn’t seem to be aware of this. “It’s — I’m fine, really, I’m fine. It looks a lot worse than it is, I swear.”

Ben forced him up and into the refresher. He sat Hux down on the edge of the tub, and rummaged through the cabinet drawer, with shaking fingers, until he found the first aid kit.

Quietly, he fixed Hux as best he could. He put bandaids on the worst of the cuts, and managed to get his nose to stop bleeding. He found an ice pack in the conservator, and brought it to Hux, instructing Hux to alternate holding it on each eye, to try and reduce the swelling. He also gave him a powerful painkiller, one that would both ease his pain and help him to sleep. He had him take off his mangled clothes, lending him a pair of pajamas to wear.

Then he led him back into his bedroom.

Before he could ask again, Hux told him, quietly, what had happened. About the camera, about his father knowing how he had lied about dating Phasma, and worst of all, he knew about Hux’s relationship with Ben. At the end of his story, he burst into tears, crying in Ben’s arms.

Ben held him for a long time, soothing him, before laying him down. As he tucked the covers over him, he said,

“I don’t want you to worry about anything else tonight, Hux. Okay? You’re gonna stay here with me, and you’re safe. I promise.”

The pill was starting to take effect now, making Hux’s eyes droop, but he struggled to maintain the conversation.

“But what ... but what about ...”

“No,” Ben gently admonished him, laying beside him. “No more talk. You sleep now, baby. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“‘Kay. Love you Ben.”

“Love you, too.”

— -

After some debate, both boys decided to stay home from school the next day. For Ben, it was easy; Leia was already up and gone before he had even woken up, so he didn’t have to hear a lecture on missing class. And, being in a hurry, she hadn’t bothered to check into her son’s bedroom, so she wasn’t aware that Hux was (still) there, either.

Hux was rather quiet the entire day. His pain had lessened considerably, but his mental turmoil had not. He was embarrassed about what had happened, and ashamed of how he looked. He didn’t know what he was going to do, or how he could face going home.

“So you won’t go home,” Ben said, hugging him. 

“I can’t stay here forever, Ben. Sooner or later your mom will notice me here.”

“Well, we’ll just deal with that when it happens. But you’re definitely staying.”

“But I don’t have any clothes, or my school stuff, or —“

“I’ll go and get them, okay? Just tell me where to find your things, give me your key, and I’ll go and retrieve everything you’ll need.”

So Hux gave him his key, and explained to him, in detail, where to find everything. Then Ben told Hux to take a nap while he went over there.

“I’ll be back in no time at all,” he said, kissing Hux’s forehead. “You rest up, okay?”

“Ben, please promise me that if you see my dad, if he’s home ... you won’t do anything stupid. I know sometimes you tend to get angry and I don’t want you doing anything you might regret later. Okay? You promise?”

Ben nodded. “Promise.”

And he DID intend to keep his promise, and not ‘do anything stupid’. Because what he intended to do didn’t feel stupid, in any sense of the word.

So he got into his speeder and took off, a grim determination in his eyes.

— -

Ben was prepared, when Leia came home that night. He had given Hux another large dose of the pain medication, hopefully ensuring that he would sleep through the tempest that was sure to follow. He waited for her in the kitchen, sitting calmly at the table with his hands folded in front of him. He had sensed that Leia would call Han for this confrontation, so he wasn’t at all surprised when Han walked through the door with his mother.

Both of his parents sat down, wordlessly. Leia’s eyes were bloodshot, and she was clutching a handful of tissues in her fist. It was the obvious she had been crying.

Before either one could speak, Ben began, quietly,

“Brendol hurt Hux very badly. I went over there to teach him a lesson. I only meant to scare him, but things escalated further than I intended. If he wants me to, I’ll get a job and pay for whatever damages I caused to his property, myself. But mom, dad, I’m telling you right now that nothing you say, or do, or threaten me with will get me to apologize to him.”

“Ben .... I don’t know where to even begin. I understand that Hux is your friend, and you care about him, but you ... you can’t just act out like that! You’re 18 now, you’re technically an adult, you’re old enough to understand that there are consequences to your actions!”

Wait ... _friend_? So it was obvious that Brendol hadn’t told her about the nature of the relationship between their sons, just Ben’s attack. But why? What was the purpose of that? Well, Ben didn’t have time to stop and think it over just then.

“Mom ...”

“Don’t interrupt me. Whether you agree with his parenting choices or not, that doesn’t give you the right to interfere the way you did. Hux is still a minor, and therefore still has to live under his father’s rules. Do you have any idea how long I had to talk Brendol down? How I had to beg him not to press assault charges against you?”

“On ME? Is that a joke? Have you even SEEN Hux? That son of a bitch Brendol is the one who needs charges pressed against him, not me!”

“Ben!”

“And do you know why he ‘let’ you ‘talk him down’, mom? Do you? It’s because that snake is trying to get into your bed! Hux is sleeping in my room right now; go in there and take a good look at his face. If you can still sleep with a man who would do that to his own son, I’m ashamed to call you my mother.”

Now Han, who had remained largely silent during this interaction, straightened up and looked at his wife. “Into your bed? Are you two a thing, now?”

Leia sat down, her face red. “No, Han. It’s just ... Brendol and I are just ...”

“I thought we were going to try and work things out? Was I wrong, to come home thinking that?”

“This isn’t about us, this is about our son!”, Leia exclaimed angrily. “Maybe if you were here for him a little more often, he wouldn’t be —“

“Mom! Dad! STOP!”, Ben roared; and behind him, the cabinet of antique plates that Leia kept on display all shattered, simultaneously. Han and Leia both jumped at the small explosion, and Ben clapped his hand to his mouth, horrified. It was getting worse. Just like the attack he had unleashed in Brendol Hux’s house, he had been unable to control the rage that burst out from inside of him.

Nobody said anything for the longest time; and then Han asked, his voice not even sounding like his own:

“Did you do that?”

Ben sat down in the chair, and, without knowing that he was going to do so, broke down in sobs. His shoulders shook and his eyes streamed as he cried, “I’m sorry! I should have told you both sooner but I was scared! Oh please, please don’t send me away! Don’t send me to Luke! Please!!”

After what felt like a long time, Ben felt his father’s strong arms go around him. Then, slowly, his mothers soft arms enclosed his chest, from the opposite side.

“We’re going to have to have a talk about this, obviously,” Leia said, as she let him go. “But nobody is being sent anywhere. At least, not tonight. Okay?”

Ben nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“And no more secrets, Benny,” his father told him as he let go. “We’re a family. We’ve lost sight of that these past few years, but it’s true. However your mother and I feel about each other, we both love you with all our hearts, and we want you to know that you can TELL us things.”

Ben took a deep breath, and looked up. “There’s something else, then. And I’m even more scared to tell you this, because I don’t know how you’re going to react to it.”

“Don’t I get to be present for this?”

All three of them turned around. Hux was standing in the doorway, the shouting and the smashing of the plates having woken him up. He crossed the room and sat down by Ben. Leia gasped; this was the first time she was seeing Hux’s face, and tears filled her eyes.

“Oh, you poor baby,” she murmured, getting up and going to Hux, cradling his head gently against her chest.

“You’re right, Ben; you DON’T owe anybody an apology,” Han said, shaking his head. He went to the conservator and pulled out a bottle of liquor. It had been there since the last time he had been home, but was still good. He found four glasses and poured each of them a drink.

“Okay, what is it you have to tell us, Ben?”, Han asked, gulping his drink before pouring another. Leia let go of Hux and sat beside her husband, looking at the two of them expectantly.

Ben grabbed Hux’s hand, and said, softly,

“Hux and I are together. Romantically together. This is the reason Brendol did this; he found out.”

Both of his parents eyes widened in shock, and Ben became afraid.

“I don’t know if this ... if I’m disappointing to you, now, or if you think this is really wrong, like Brendol does. But it doesn’t feel wrong to me, or to Hux. But I’m sorry.”

Han stood up and pushed in his chair, and Ben’s heart sank, thinking he was going to walk out. 

“Ben ... you know I’ve been waiting for the day you’d bring somebody home to meet us. Naturally I expected a girl, but ... but I’m happy for you, regardless. But the thing is, I pictured this differently. So, I’m going to walk out the front door, then come in. I want you to pretend I’ve just come home from work, then introduce me to him. Okay?”

Ben smiled, and had to work from bursting into tears again. “I thought you said I got my theatrical side from mom.”

But Han was already doing as he said, and he approached the table a second time with a smile.

“Hi, Leia, I’m home,” he said, kissing his wife’s cheek. “Hey, Benny!”

“Hey, dad. I’m glad you’re here, there’s someone I want you to met. Dad, this is Hux. Hux, this is my dad, Han. Hux is my boyfriend, dad.”

Han reached across the table and shook the grinning Hux’s hand. “Good to meet ya, kid. Will you be staying for dinner?”

Everyone burst out laughing, and then Leia, wiping her eyes, moved to the stove. “Might help if I actually MADE dinner,” she explained, and more laughter followed.

— -

It had been so long since Ben had last seen his uncle Luke that he was a little shocked, at the changes. He had gotten considerably older, or at least, it seemed that way in comparison to Ben’s mother. His hair was now streaked with white, as was his beard, and he walked with a pronounced limp. 

“Caught that from one of my students,” he explained when Leia asked. “You know, you can teach a lot of things, but fewer things are more difficult than teaching lightsaber combat to a shaky-handed student.”

Life had changed in the Solo household in the past few weeks. After much back and forth with Brendol, Hux was allowed to move into Ben’s home. 

“You can’t take my son away from me!”, Brendol had bellowed to Leia, angrily. “He’s still 17, I still have legal rights to him.”

“You do, but Brendol, he’s terrified of you. A child deserves to be in a place where he feels safe, and clearly he’s not getting that from you.”

“It’s that babying attitude that turns strong young men into weaklings,” Brendol had said, contemptuously. “You think you can just keep him? Don’t forget I have holo recordings of YOUR son assaulting my property, Leia. I could release them in a second, and destroy your entire wholesome family campaign in front of all our peers. I’ve got other holos, too, of your son seducing mine.”

Leia laughed out loud at that. “Really? Fine; you go ahead and release that. But you do that, and I’ll have no choice but to release my OWN holos.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t have anything!”

Leia nodded. “Yes, I do. Or rather, your son does. He has a tiny little camera that recorded every blow you dealt him, every vicious thing you screamed at him, that night. Pretty brutal stuff, incredibly hard to watch. I imagine it’d be especially hard to watch for your campaign supporters, seeing their champion belt his teenage son around like a rag doll.”

Brendol narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. He was caught; there was no argument he could make to that.

“Fine,” he said, slowly, “Take him if you want him. Allow him to continue his disgusting, hedonistic ways with your son. See if I care. But I promise you; this isn’t over.”

And with that, he turned and left her alone, leaving a very loud silence in his wake.

Han stayed home for a few weeks, helping turn the storage room into a proper bedroom, for Hux. Both parents agreed that, for decency’s sake, the boys should maintain separate bedrooms, at least until Hux was a proper 18. 

And things were different at school, too. While nobody, save for Phasma, knew what had happened with Hux and his dad, or that Hux was living with Ben, everybody now knew that the two boys were together. They held hands in the hallways, they hugged and kissed and were always near each other. 

Some people reacted disgusted to the idea, but most people were receptive, and supportive. But neither boy really cared; it was such a freeing thing, a release, to finally be in the open about who they were. Like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. And while Hux somewhat missed their supply closet lunch dates, he had to admit that the alternative was even better. And Ben decided that since this part of his life was now in order, it was the time to think about fixing that other aspect of himself, as well.

After much encouragement from Hux, and his parents, Ben had put in a holo-call to his uncle, asking him to come and visit them at the house, to ‘discuss something important’. And now he was here, sipping tea and listening thoughtfully to his nephew’s confession about his discovered Force abilities. Ben had stayed home from school, to be there when he arrived.

“He only has a few months left at Academy, before he graduates,” Leia explained, holding her son’s hand. “After that, well, it’s up to him, what he chooses to do. I’m not going to force him into anything.”

Luke nodded. “Agreed. It’s important, choosing ones own path in life. The second you feel like you don’t have a choice, is the second you start heading into darkness.”

Now he turned to his nephew. “But, Ben, I want you to know, you’d be welcome at the Temple with open arms. I understand if you don’t want to become a Jedi, but I can still teach you other things. Like balance, and control. And how to expand your mind. Maybe even build your own lightsaber, and learn how to use it.”

Ben nodded slowly. “Thank you, Uncle. Those are things I’d be interested in learning; especially what you said about control. Sometimes ... sometimes I get so angry about things, and then it feels like a fire just shoots out of me, and ... well, I ... I don’t want to end up like Grandfather.”

Luke nodded seriously. “I wouldn’t let that happen, Ben. I promise. In fact, before I go back home, I’m going to give you a few lessons in meditation, which are helpful in keeping a calm center. Now, give some thought to it, and we can talk about this more solidly after your graduation. Which I can’t WAIT to come to, by the way.”

Ben smiled and got up from the table, hugging his uncle to him.

“Dad was wrong; you’re NOT just a crazy old wizard, after all.”

Luke made a face. “Is he still saying that? Well, tell him I said that he’s still a nerf-herder.”

“Don’t forget stuck-up, half-witted, and scruffy looking,” Leia supplied, and all three burst out laughing again.

“Now, what time does school let out?,” Luke asked, with a smile. “I’m looking forward to meeting the young man your mother told me about.”


	7. Chapter 7

“And there I was, about to die. I was so certain of it, and I was trying my hardest to accept it. Did you know that when the worst of hypothermia sets in, you don’t actually feel cold, but warm? Well, warm tingles were spreading all over my body, from my head to my toes. My thoughts weren’t very coherent at that point but I remember thinking, at least it won’t hurt. Everybody expects death to hurt, somewhat, but what I felt was almost soothing, in a way. Peaceful. Like dozing off in a warm bath. Anyway my eyelids feel heavy and I’m fading in and out, and all of a sudden, right in front of me, is Obi Wan. I knew he was dead; after all, I had seen my father strike him down right in front of me. So I knew he was dead and I thought, if I’m seeing him right now, that must mean I’M dead, too. And then he spoke to me, and his voice was so clear it was like hearing a bell ring inside my brain. He told me that I needed to go to the Dagobah system, and to learn the ways of the Force from Yoda, a Jedi master of yore. I remember opening my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but that’s the last thing I remember for a while. When I woke up, I was surrounded by big, soft gray organs, intestines I think. And Han was with me. I don’t know how he got there, how in the world he found me in all that blinding white snow, but he had. He had taken my saber and cut into the tauntaun, and the two of us kept warm inside of it for the entire night. And that, my dear boy, is why I don’t recommend ever going on a nature retreat, on Hoth.”

Ben rolled his eyes but Hux burst out laughing. This was the second story that Ben’s uncle, Luke, had told in as many hours, and Hux could easily have listened to him go on all night. He was fascinated with the honesty and the depth with which Luke, this legend, this time-traveller from a different age, spoke of his life. All Hux had to do was ask him a simple question and he would be off and running.

Hux could tell Ben wasn’t as impressed, and that wasn’t really surprising; after all, he had grown up hearing these tales his entire life. But Hux’s interest was peaked, especially concerning the historical aspects of Luke’s stories. Hux, being somewhat of a history buff, could close his eyes as Luke spoke, and perfectly picture the clothing, the atmosphere, the people of that particular period of time. He was a bit disappointed when Leia gently broke up the evening by informing Ben and Hux that it was more than time for bed, tomorrow being a school day.

He wished Luke and Leia goodnight, and got Luke to promise to tell him the story about battling Darth Vader on Bespin over breakfast, before heading down the hallway with Ben, towards their rooms.

Or rather, Ben’s room.

Hux knew that Leia preferred them sleeping separately, and he respected this rule ... but sometimes, when Leia was distracted, it was easy simply spend the night with each other. 

“She won’t notice tonight,” Ben told him, as he closed the door softly behind them. “She and Luke will be up talking all night, most likely.”

Hux was glad of this. He needed Ben the most at night. Not for anything sexual (although they did indulge, from time to time), but for comfort. Although Hux had been living with Ben’s family for several weeks, he still had lingering fear and trauma, over the night that had caused all of this. He had nightmares frequently, and woke up in a panic more than once, during those early days. And Ben’s arms around him, holding him, telling him that he was okay — Hux needed that, more than Ben realized.

But living with the Organa-Solo’s slowly brought out the life in him, and, bit by bit, their love and support helped to heal the broken parts of his soul.

Hux, in gratitude for having been ‘adopted’, did all he could to show his appreciation. He helped around the house so enthusiastically that, between him and Ben, Leia hardly had to lift a finger at home anymore. Hux had discovered a passion for cooking, something he had always wanted to try before but had been forbidden by his father, who called it “woman’s work”; and he was pleased that he was quite good at it.

Over several weekends, he also spent time getting to know Han, who was making more of an effort to be around his wife and son.

“Leia and I haven’t always had the easiest relationship,” Han said to him one day, when the two were alone in the kitchen. “But I’ll be damned if I’m about to lose her to someone like that karking asshole Brendol. No offense.”

“None taken,” Hux had replied, grinning.

Han had even taken Ben and Hux with him one weekend to the Mid Rim system, the center of his transporting business. There Hux had met Ben’s other ‘uncles’, Lando Calrissian, and the Wookiee, Chewbacca. Meeting Chewie had been intimidating, but Hux relaxed after he had been lifted off his feet and hugged by the huge creature.

“What does that mean?,” Hux asked as he was set back down, in reference to the garbled words Chewie had emitted.

“He says, now we finally have a decent sized group for a good game of Sabbac,” Lando explained, as the others laughed.

— -

“What do you think of this?”, Phasma asked, twirling so that the long skirt swirled around her.

“Gorgeous,” said Ben, although he had barely looked up.

“You’ve said ‘gorgeous’ to the last 5 dresses, Ben. I really wish you’d provide a bit more constructive criticism.”

Ben, Hux and Phasma were in a clothing shop, a new little boutique that had opened just last week. With graduation rapidly approaching, Phasma wanted to buy herself a dress, an item of clothing that she had only worn before rarely, to wear underneath her robes. So she had recruited Ben and Hux to accompany her on this most illustrious mission, to give her opinions on the things she tried on.

Or, that had been the plan, anyway. Ben’s attention span dwindled after the first three dresses, and Hux kept wandering off to look at the clothes for males.

He showed up now, a black collared shirt in hand. 

“What do you guys think of this?”, he asked, holding it up to himself.

Phasma put her hand on her hips, frustrated.

“I’m sorry; was I mistaken in thinking that I brought you both along to help ME, and not the other way around?!”

Hux grinned, and stepped forward, picking up one of the dresses that she had laid to the side.

“This one. The color perfectly matches your eyes, and the trim will set off your hair. And it’s just short enough to show of your legs.”

Phasma smiled. “Thank you, Hux! See, Ben; THAT’S what I needed to hear!”

She ducked back into the dressing room to change back into her own clothes, and Hux sat beside Ben on the bench, to wait.

“They’ve got a lot of good shirts here; you should look around some before we leave.”

Ben shook his head. “No, thanks. I don’t understand how you and Phasma can’t see that this is the most boring activity possible.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “Everybody needs new clothes, Ben. What are you going to do when the ones you keep wearing get so ragged that they fall off your body?”

“Send my mom to get me new ones.”

“She won’t do that for you forever, you know.”

“Then I’ll send you.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll just go naked all the time. You ever consider how much easier life would be, if everyone was just naked? Look at my uncle Chewie; he’s never worn a stitch of clothing a day in his life, and he’s the happiest person I know.”

“I’m pretty sure that etiquette rules for humans and Wookiee’s are vastly different, dear.”

Ben scooted closer, then climbed into Hux’s lap, facing him, his hands laced behind his head.

“I’m a little insulted that you don’t say that my being nude all the time would be the best thing ever,” he grumbled, pouting.

Hux leaned forward and kissed him. “I never said that; but maybe I’m just selfish. Maybe **I** want to be the only one to see you naked.”

They continued to tease and kiss, until  
Phasma came back out, groaning, “Will you two knock it off? I swear, I can’t leave you alone for five minutes before you’re at each other.”

Ben reluctantly slid off of Hux, and the two accompanied Phasma to the front counter.

“Wait — why do you have TWO dresses?”, Hux asked, pointing.

Phasma blushed, and she mumbled, quickly, “Er, one might be for something else.”

She paid, and then they were back outside, heading to the shuttle. 

“What kind of something else?”

“Maybe, a, um, a — date.”

Both boys looked at each other, then at Phasma. They had reached the shuttle, and C-3PO took them away. 

“A date? With whom?”

Still blushing, Phasma said, “It’s a boy, a little older than me. He works as a page in the senate hall; Ben, your mom might know him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Dolpheld. He’s really, really sweet. Shy, too, like me. I met him during one of those charity fundraisers my dad was part of last month. We started talking, and, he asked me out.”

Hux didn’t say anything, but inside, he was both relieved and overjoyed. Since the controversy had happened with him and Ben, and the trio’s parents finding out the truth about what (hadn’t) happened with Hux and Phasma, Hux had been worried. While he was happy to finally be living in the open with Ben, he hadn’t wanted Phasma to be made to suffer, or for her father to start pushing her into dating boys she didn’t like, again.

As if reading his mind, Phasma continued:

“I had a talk with both my parents, about all of this. It was hard, and I cried a lot, but I think I got my point across. I made them see that it wasn’t fair, to keep using me for their own gains. I want to be happy, and I want to be able to choose who I can be with, you know?”

Both boys nodded thoughtful. Hux said, quietly, “Sometimes I don’t think parents realize, the way so many things that they do, affects us.”

Ben could feel that Hux was thinking about his father, again, and before the mood could turn dark he said, playfully,

“Well, parents aren’t the only ones with those kinds of ‘rights’. Your friends have them, too, and as your friends, Hux and I invoke our rights to meet this boy, and assess whether or not he’s good enough for you.”

Hux chuckled at that, and Phasma said, “Can you at least wait til the second or third date? I don’t want to scare him off RIGHT away!”; and the group laughed again.

— -

About two weeks before graduation, Hux received word via a currier that his father’s sister, his aunt Char, had died. Although Leia and Ben were worried, Hux felt no real emotion for the loss. The last time he had seen this aunt was before Brendol’s mother, Hux’s grandmother, had died, and that had been many years ago. He sent his condolences to the rest of the family, while explaining that he couldn’t attend the Arkanis funeral because of school. Not that he’d have wanted to, anyway; to do so would mean having to see his father, and he wasn’t ready for that. But he sent the card and thought that would be the end of it.

So he was surprised when, a few days later, right before bed, another letter came back, and a box, both from his aunt’s estate. 

The box contained a lovely, rare set of old Republic coins. Hux had seen this often during his visits, and had always really admired it. Apparently his aunt had noticed his fascination, and left him the set in her will.

But he didn’t have time to properly appreciate the coins, because the letter floored him. In it, his aunt expressed regret over how their family had grown apart, and she made reference to Hux’s mother and father divorcing.

Divorcing.  
So they HAD been married.

And then the part that shocked him: his aunt went in to explain that Brendol Hux had forcibly wrested custody of young Armitage from his wife, and, in order to keep her complacent, sent her a certain amount of money each month, on the agreement that she cease all contact with her son. The letter also stated that ((bigger shock)), his mother was _still alive_ ; and even provided a planet and home address of her last known location.

Hux folded the letter calmly, tucked it underneath his arm, and went to Ben’s room.

“What’s wrong?”, Ben asked, when he saw the look on Hux’s face.

Hux handed the letter to Ben, then sat down on Ben’s bed, watching as Ben slowly read it to himself.

He was a bit dismayed, when Ben’s eyes lit with excitement, and he exclaimed, “We have to go and see her!”

Hux took the letter back and stuffed it in his pocket.

“No.”

“No?”, Ben asked, confused. He put his arm on Hux’s shoulder. “Why? You’ve been talking about wishing you knew what had happened to her, for so long. Now you know, or you know part of it.”

“Yeah, exactly. Clearly she thought a few credits was worth more than being there for me.”

“Hux, we don’t know the whole story, I’m sure. I’m sure there are more reasons, that she could tell you, if you went to her. Don’t you want to at least see her?”

“Okay, then, let me ask you the same thing. Say you had grown up and it had only been you, and Han. And then you suddenly find out your mother is actually still alive, and has been collecting money from Han for your entire life, to stay _out_ of it. What would you do?”

Ben sighed, laying fully back on the bed, his hands resting in the pillows above his head.

“In all seriousness? I’d probably kill Han, then take myself down to Han’s grave and scream myself hoarse at his tomb. I’d also probably go and confront Lando, and Chewie, and Luke, asking why none of them had ever told me. But then? After all of that? _I’d go to find her.”_

Hux also laid down, curling an arm around Ben’s waist.

“But why?”

“So I could yell at her too, maybe. Or cry. So I could ask questions. So that I could KNOW. So that I’d never wake up again and have to wonder about why things happened the way they did. No matter what the truth actually ended up being, at least I’d finally know.”

“So basically you’re talking about closure?”

Ben nodded. “Closure, yes, or ... what’s the opposite of closure? Opening? It could be a possible opening into a relationship with her. Or not. But you get the point.”

Hux exhaled a soft breath, pulling himself closer into Ben’s warmth.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’ll tell me the truth?”

“I always do.”

“Okay. Um, Ben, are you ... have you gotten tired of this yet?”

Ben raised himself up a little, looking down at Hux. “Tired of what?”

“Of us, I guess. Of our relationship.”

Ben sat up all the way now, frowning, and Hux followed suit.

“Why would you ask something like that?”

“I worry, that us living together might have made you sick of me. I worry that maybe you feel you need to stay with me, out of like, obligation, or because you feel sorry for me because of my dad and stuff. And then I really worry that you being with me, is taking away your opportunity to be with somebody else. Maybe ... maybe somebody better.”

Ben was quiet for a long time, trying to gather his thoughts on the matter. When he finally did speak, what he said was so out of place that Hux was momentarily confused by it.

“Do you remember about a year ago, when me you and Phasma were sitting on the table? The sky was really dark, and we thought it was going to start pouring rain on us?”

Hux scrunched up his face, trying to remember. “Er, no, not really.”

“Phasma was ranting on about that holodrama she used to watch, like she was saying how the wrong two people got married? She said the girl should have married the rich guy, because it was more practical? Because he could have given her security, like a home, and food.”

“I ... I very, very vaguely remember something like this.”

“So do you remember what you said to her?”

Hux shook his head.

“I do. You told her that love should be having someone who makes you feel like you’re everything, even when you have nothing.”

Here Ben stopped, taking hold of Hux’s hand. 

“You didn’t know it, but that’s the day I knew for sure, that I was in love with you, Hux. And keep in mind this was weeks before you told me that you loved me. But I _knew_. And you know what? You really, really make me feel, like everything.”

Hux hadn’t realized that tears were running down his face until Ben reached over and wiped one away. 

“You make me feel like everything, too.”

Ben put his arms around him and kissed him once, twice, three times, softly, on the lips.

“Now that that’s settled,” Ben said, as he pulled away, “I won’t press you on this anymore if you don’t want, but I do want you to do some serious thinking, about your mom. And whatever you decide, I’ll support it. Okay?”

“Okay,” Hux agreed. “I will. Promise.”

He laid back down again, feeling drained. “I’m too tired to go all the way back to my room; you mind if I stay here?”, he asked, as he pulled the blanket over himself.

“What if I don’t want you to?”, Ben asked, teasing him as he also laid down.

Hux threw his leg over Ben’s waist, and snuggled his head down into his chest.

“Then move me,” he answered, yawning.


	8. Chapter 8

“Mom ....” Ben said, weakly. He was hardly able to get to his feet, and he nearly collapsed before he could reach Leia. She put her arms around him and cradled him, letting him cry into her clothes.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” she soothed him, stroking his hair. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of changes, for everybody.

Han had managed to expand his trade and transport business to include spice transporting, something he had been apart of as a much younger man. The updated product list garnered him a bevy of new clients, some living as far away as the unknown regions.

“I could sure use some help,” Han had said to Ben and Hux one night, when he was home, over dinner. “Now that your schooling is over, I’d like it if both of you gave some thought, to joining me. It can only be on a trial basis, if you want, at first. But it’s one of the most interesting ways to earn a living that I can think of.”

And that was another change: Ben and Hux had graduated from the Academy. The day was a warm one, with all the attendees sweltering underneath the heavy robes and the fancy clothes, but a happy one regardless. Hux had been a bit hopeful, in the back of his mind, that Brendol would surprise him by showing up; but that didn’t happen. Yet the incredibly loud cheering of Ben’s entire family, Chewbacca included, when his name was called more than made up for the absence.

When Han made his offer to the two boys, Ben had told him that he would have to wait until after he had gone to Luke. After many late-night talks with Hux, and a lot of soul-searching, Ben had decided that going to his uncle was something he couldn’t put off much longer. His abilities grew stronger every day, and he needed the guidance that Luke could provide, in shaping them. 

“I still don’t believe I’d want to be a Jedi,” Ben had told Hux, thoughtfully, “But I do have a lot to learn.”

Luke had agreed to allow Ben to study under him, for the tentative duration of a year. Enough time to learn the basics, to work on control, and the like. And Ben was fortunate in that Luke’s newly reformed Jedi teachings did NOT include separating students from their parents, as the old way had. The students lived in the dorms at the temple, but were allowed contact with family, and visitors. Which was good, because Hux didn’t think he could stand to be completely separated from Ben for an entire year.

And Hux, while he acknowledged that he would love working alongside Han, conceded that likely, he could only do so on a part-time basis. He had done some heavy thinking, after graduation, in regards to what he wanted to do with his life. An odd thought, considering that his entire life up until this point had been molded by his father’s expectations, rather than his own.

One of the things that he realized gave him peace, was helping others. Leia had involvement with many local Coruscant charities and social services programs, some of which she had founded herself. Hux had helped her plan a fundraiser one day for a youth group, and in that, discovered a joy he hadn’t known existed. His organizational skills came into play, and his passionate tenacity was able to gain support from even the most hardened of potential financial backers. One of Leia’s friends, a retired member of the senate, was in the developmental stages of creating a new social services program, one that would provide temporary housing, clothing, food, and help with education to displaced, homeless and orphaned youths. He was currently out traveling to planets in their system, seeking out donors for his plans; but once things had been settled, he told Leia that he would be delighted, if Hux wanted to become a member of his committee.

Things had changed in Leia’s world, as well, although not all of the changes were positive ones.

After over a year of working on it, the senate had managed to pass a unifying tax law, one that would make taxes for everybody in their system, regardless of political party, social or ethnic or financial background. Many, particularly those who had businesses who counted on heavy tax breaks, had been opposed to this change.

Security around the senate building had been stepped up dramatically, and those who worked there were often escorted to and from their ships, by police-droids.

Ben, especially, was extremely worried about this, and had growing concern for his mother’s safety.

“You don’t have to worry, sweetheart,” Leia had told him, kissing his cheek. “Things are always a little tense after a big change like this. It’ll quiet down sooner than you think, you’ll see.”

But she had been wrong.

One day, she left at the same time she always did ... but didn’t come back.

Ben and Hux each tried multiple attempts to contact her, via holomessage, but heard nothing. Hux tried to keep the frantic Ben calm by continually suggesting that Leia was just working late, although in his heart he had doubts about that. It was hours past dinner time; and Leia would always call to inform them when she would be out late. 

And she would certainly have done so now, considering that she _knew_ how paranoid her son had become about her safety as of late.

Leia had the ship, C-3PO was currently with Han, and Ben’s speeder was being repaired; otherwise he would have gone down there hours ago to find Leia himself.

“That’s it,” he told Hux, standing up. “I’m walking.”

“Walking? Ben, the senate building is over 50 miles away!”

“Exactly. So I really should have started hours ago!”

The two argued some more, but before Ben had a chance to leave, his mother, miraculously, walked through the door.

But one look at her was enough see that something awful had happened. Her hair, usually so neat and crisp in its tidy bun, was wildly messy. Her clothes were torn, and there were visible cuts along her arms and the back of her neck. And she was shaking, quite hard, as if unable to stop.

Ben had collapsed in her arms, and, after she had soothed him, she told what had happened.

A bomb had gone off in the middle of a speech, and at first nobody knew what had happened. And then blaster fire broke out, and security was struggling to rush the members of the senate to safety. Leia had watched, in shock herself, as many of her peers and friends were struck down in cold blood, pelted with lasers or torn open in the blast. The surviving members had been rushed to the city hospital, but Leia had refused this and instead demanded to be taken home, knowing that Ben and Hux were likely sick with worry over her.

She went to Hux, and put her hand on his shoulder. Her lips trembled, and she was still shaking all over, as she said, softly,

“Armitage ... your father ... he ... he didn’t ...”

She couldn’t seem to bring the words out fully; but she really didn’t need to. Hux already knew. It was what had been causing that strange tingle in the back of his head all day long, the chill in his arms.

“He’s dead,” Hux finished for her, gently. He was surprised at how firm his voice sounded, how devoid of emotion or feeling. Almost as if he had made a statement about something as inconsequential as the weather.

Leia nodded, and then she threw her soft arms around him, holding him as tight as possible. But Hux couldn’t feel that; he honestly couldn’t feel much of anything, at the moment. His logical side informed him that he was probably suffering from some kind of severe shock; but it didn’t really seem to matter.

Leia forced him to sit down on the couch, and she talked to him, quietly, about what had happened. As she talked, Ben sat in-between them, one arm on each of them. He wanted to provide comfort to Hux but at the same time he still felt the need to be close to his mother.

But Hux couldn’t feel Ben’s hand rubbing soothing circles on his leg, the same way he couldn’t really focus on the explanation that Leia was giving him.

“He ... Brendol ... he saved me. He threw himself over me, shielded me on the ground. But I saw him ... I saw the fire rip through ... I .. I saw ...”

And she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. Still, oddly, Hux felt no real sense of emotion, other than a vague gratitude that Leia was okay. Ben was comforting her now, and Hux got up, his mind jumping into things that would help the situation. Ben and his mother were both hysterical; they needed warm drinks and to get food into their systems. A holo-call needed to be put in to Mr. Solo, telling him he should come home. Leia looked quite physically shaken; it would probably be a good idea to get a medical droid to come to the house, or to take her to the city hospital, just to be safe.

 _And what about YOU?_ , Hux asked himself, in his mind. 

“I’m fine,” he said out-loud, as he went to do what needed to be done.

— -

Days passed, and Hux waited patiently, to feel something. To feel _anything_. Leia and Han both spent a lot of time talking to him, Phasma came over ... they even had a therapist come to the house, under the guise that he was there for Leia but really it was to talk to Hux; but nothing got through to him, or penetrated the dead, eerie calm he had crafted around himself.

And, to be honest, he didn’t see what everyone was making such a big deal about.

He was _fine_.

He ate, he slept, he did his chores. He talked when spoken to. He functioned just the same as he always had.

Just fine.

And then came the day of his father’s funeral. Hux, Ben, and his parents all went to the large service. It wasn’t just a event for Brendol, it was a funeral putting away all the members of the senate who had been lost, 7 in total. The surviving members each went to the podium and said things about their fallen comrades, and the families were invited to speak, as well. Hux had prepared a small speech, but when the opportunity came for him to give it, he found he couldn’t do it. Instead, he ended up slipping the paper into his father’s coffin. Brendol was staunchly against the belief of there being an afterlife, but, as he had been with so many things, maybe he was wrong. And if he was, he’d have plenty of time to read it.

Hux had numerous acquaintances of his father’s, coworkers and club members and ‘friends’, come up to him afterwards. Offering condolences, and well wishes. Telling him what they considered to be amusing or uplifting anecdotes about his father. One older, emotional woman cried all over Hux’s shoulder for what felt like an eternity, and Hux just stood there awkwardly patting her on the back until Leia subtly intervened.

They arrived back home hours later, and Hux told them he was tired, and was going to bed early. He sat down, still in his suit, at the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor.

A knock came from the hallway. “Hux?”

It was Ben. “Come in,” Hux called, watching as Ben entered slowly. He sat down next to Hux, and said,

“I, uh, I noticed that you haven’t eaten anything today. I was wondering if you wanted me to make you something, before you go to sleep?”

Hux shook his head. He stood up and started changing out of his clothes and into pajamas, moving slowly and mechanically. “I appreciate the offer, but no. I’m not hungry.”

Hux sat back down and looked at Ben expectantly, assuming that he’d go back to his own room. But he stayed put, and he said,

“So, Han is leaving tomorrow. He’s making a haul to Corelia, where he grew up. He wanted to know if we both wanted to go with him. I’ve never been there, and I know you haven’t, either.”

Again, Hux shook his head. “That’s okay. You go ahead; I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Ben hesitated, then gently reached over and put his hand over the top of Hux’s, squeezing his fingers. “That’s the point, Hux. It’ll be fun, and a chance to get away from here for a while. A breath of fresh air, a change of scenery, and ... “

“Ben.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m _fine_.”

“I didn’t say that you weren’t.”

Hux stood up and began pacing. He was very slowly starting to feel something now: anger. And frustration. Not the greatest emotions, but an improvement over the numbness.

“You don’t have to say it, Ben. It’s obvious! I get that you’re trying to help but I’m kriffing FINE! I don’t know how many more times I have to say that; to you, to Han, to Leia, to Phasma ...”

Here he paused, realizing that his sudden bout of emotion had him feeling lightheaded. He quickly sat back down on the bed beside Ben, taking several deep, calming breaths before continuing.

“You know, if anything, here, I should be questioning the well-being of all of YOU. You seem to think there’s something wrong with me, because I won’t mourn for a monster. And that’s what he was, Ben; a karking monster! I appreciate him saving Leia but that one act doesn’t redeem the thousands of terrible ones, at least not to me. It doesn’t make the pain go away, it doesn’t make the nightmares stop! It doesn’t keep me from hearing his voice in my head every single time I touch you, or kiss you, or so much as THINK about you! And it doesn’t take away from the fact that Brendol Hux died before I could tell him how much I feared him, how much I hated him! How much ... how much ...”

“How much you loved him?”, Ben finished, gently.

Tears came, so sudden and so hard that Hux was blinded with them. 

“I tried so hard, Ben. I tried so hard to be everything he wanted, I really did. But it was never enough! It was NEVER ENOUGH! But Maker help me, I loved him! I loved him so much, Ben!”

Ben held him, rocking him back and forth. “I know. I know you did. And that’s okay; there’s nothing wrong with you for that.”

After a very, very long time, Hux calmed down. He was able to detach himself from Ben, and wipe his face with tissues. He was aware that, while he was still hurting, he felt worlds better than he did before. As if he had taken something out of himself that had been left to rot for years. 

Better, but exhausted.

“Please, will you stay with me tonight?”, he asked Ben, as he climbed into bed.

Ben smiled and nodded, climbing in behind him. He put his arms around him and rested his head on his shoulder. 

“So, Corelia, huh?”, Hux murmured. “You’re right; that DOES sound fun.”

“Does that mean you want to go?”

Hux nodded. “I do. Hey, do you think that Han could be persuaded to make a bit of a pit stop, before we came back home?”

“I’m sure he could. Why? What do you have in mind?”

Taking a deep breath, Hux told him,

“Well, you don’t leave to go to Luke for a month, yet, so this might be one of the only windows we have to do this. I think ... I think it’s time, Ben. Time to find my mother.”


	9. Chapter 9

Hux felt bad. 

He knew that just because he was stressed out about tomorrow, there was no excuse to take that out on Ben.

The trip to Corellia with Han had proven interesting. They made their delivery, and Han took the boys all around streets which he had grown up on, pointing out his former haunts to the attentive duo.

“See right there?”, he asked the boys, pointing to a rundown older building.

“Yeah?”, said Ben.

“That place used to be a hangout for me, when I was, oh, 7 or 8 years old. It used to be a diner. My group of friends and I would hang out under the windows, watching people walk down the street. The man who owned it would always chase us away if he felt we were driving away customers, but his wife was nice. She’d give us leftover bread, meat scraps, anything that they couldn’t sell during the day. I liked her. One time, she heard it was my friend Verta’s birthday, and she made her a beautiful cake, with icing and little decorations and everything, and she let us come inside to eat it at the tables. Her old man was gone, or he probably would have had a fit.”

Hux knew, from Ben telling him before, that Han had grown up a street-dwelling orphan, but still, it was fascinating to hear these tales of survival from his own mouth.

But all the while that they were enjoying the scenery, and the warm Corelia sunshine, Hux had been worrying. 

The planet where his mother lived was in very close proximity to Corelia. He talked it over with Han, and they agreed that, if they could locate the address that was written on the slip of paper Hux had with him, he would drop Hux off at his mother’s doorstep in the morning.

Ben thought that he should go with, for support, but this was something that Hux needed to do on his own.

That evening, after Han’s tour, he parked the Falcon in the area designated for off-worlder visitors, telling the boys that he was going to turn in early. After he had gone to his little bunk, Ben, having noticed that there was a cantina down the street, suggested to Hux that they slip out and get themselves a few drinks, maybe some food.

“No,” Hux had said, shaking his head, “I don’t feel like going out.”

“Come on, Hux; please?”, Ben had pleaded, putting a hand on Hux’s shoulder.

But Hux had shrugged off Ben’s hand and snapped at him about being tired. Ben took this cheerfully enough, and said he’d just let Hux sleep and that he’d go by himself. He pretended like he didn’t mind ...

But Hux knew that he did. He knew that he had hurt Ben’s feelings.

He also knew that, while this past year had been hard on him, it was just as hard on Ben. The boy had gone through so many changes, concerning his Force emergence, his parents’ relationship issues, and the slew of things he had endured for, and with, Hux. Ben had been the one to hold it together for the both of them while so many rapid life events took place, and Hux ...

... Hux could definitely make more of an effort, to reciprocate this.

So he got himself dressed and left the ship, going down the street to the cantina Ben had said he was going to.

He spotted Ben sitting by himself at the bar, toying with a mostly-empty glass in his hands.

Hux walked up from the opposite side, so that Ben wouldn’t see him approach, and tapped him from behind, on the shoulder.

Ben turned around, and Hux smiled.

“Hi,” Hux said, slightly changing his voice to make it sound deeper, “My name is Armitage. I’m not usually this forward but, I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room. You are incredibly attractive; can I buy you a drink?”

Ben smiled, his cheeks turning just the tiniest bit pink.

“That’s very sweet of you, but no, thanks.”

“Some food, then? Surely there must be a price to pay, to be allowed in the presence of such magnificence.”

“Well, if you insist, you could buy me a piece of eopie cream pie.”

Hux signaled the barkeep and ordered two pieces of the pie, as well as a drink for himself. When it came out, Hux took a bite of his own, and frowned. 

“I’m afraid this just won’t do.”

“What?”

Leaning closer, so that his words were touching Ben’s skin, Hux said, “I can’t enjoy this pie, because I know in my heart that the taste of your lips would put the sweetness of it to shame.”

Ben blushed a darker red now, and goosebumps broke out over his arms.

“Force ... have you no decency, saying things like that in public?”

Putting his hand on Ben’s thigh, Hux gazed into his eyes and whispered, “What public? All I can see is YOU.”

He leaned in and began kissing Ben, softly at first, then gradually increasing his aggressiveness, until both of them nearly fell off of the stools they were perched on.

By the time he released Ben, the latter was smiling and breathless.

“That was certainly unexpected,” Ben said, stealing Hux’s drink and taking a sip, to try and calm his thumping heart.

“It shouldn’t be. There shouldn’t ever be any period of time when I’m not doing everything I can to show you how crazy I am about you, Ben. You’ve been here for me during the worst days of my life, and you’ve given me the best. I absolutely adore you; I’m sorry if I haven’t been expressing that lately.”

Ben reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. “You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve had an incredibly stressful year; but after tomorrow, I hope things change. I hope you’ll find your answers, and can start healing.”

Hux squeezed Ben’s hand back. “Thank you, baby. I hope so, too.”

They settled their tab and left, walking hand in hand back to the Falcon.

“Do you know what we should do?”, Ben asked, as they strolled beneath the stars. “We should plan a vacation, just the two of us. A year from now, after I leave Luke. Anywhere that you want to go.”

Hux smiled. “I love that. Okay. A vacation. You know I’ve always wanted to go to the Ilenium system. I’ve heard that their planets boast wonderful nature preserves.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t a fan of the outdoors?”

“No, but I AM appreciative of things of beauty,” he explained, gently touching the side of Ben’s face. “Obviously.”

Ben smiled, and kissed Hux’s fingertips. “You’re saying awfully sweet things to me tonight, Armitage. Are you trying to seduce me?”

Hux wrapped himself around Ben and began kissing his neck. “That depends; do you think I can ‘seduce’ you quietly enough so that we don’t wake up your father?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Ben answered, before devouring Hux’s lips.

— -

Finding the address of Hux’s mother took less time than Hux had anticipated. Han flew along the sandy beaches of Selonia, stopping every few miles so that Hux and Ben could inquire from the locals as to their intended destination. They struck paydirt on the third stop, as a man was able to give them detailed directions to Hux’s mother’s home.

It was a medium-sized stone hut, much less fancy than Hux had been expecting. The front garden was full of colorful flowers, and more hung from planters beneath the window sills.

Hux sat and stared out the window of the Falcon for a long time, trying to steel himself for this meeting. 

“You’re positive you don’t want me to go with you?” Ben asked, nervous.

Hux shook his head. “No. I’ll be okay. Promise.”

Han gave him a communicative device, and made Hux promise to call right away if things went badly. If he didn’t hear from him within an hour, then he and Ben would come back later that evening.

Ben kissed him goodbye, then he and Han watched Hux just until he got to the door, before taking off to give him some privacy.

Taking a deep breath, Hux knocked.

— -

Pale, and slender. 

Sparkling green eyes, a light splatter of freckles, tiny wrinkles around the eyes and mouth.

And the most important thing of all: long, vibrant, RED hair, styled into a braided ponytail that fell to halfway down her back.

The two stared at each other for the longest time. Hux couldn’t believe, how much he looked like the woman. And the woman seemed in utter disbelief, upon seeing ...

“Armitage?”, she asked, weakly.

He swallowed and nodded, desperately trying to find his voice.

“Hello,” he heard himself say, calmly. “Are you Anaelynn?”

She nodded. “I ... I can’t believe ... would you like to come in?”

Hux nodded, and she led him into the house, to a cheerful, brightly-colored living room. Hux sat down gingerly in a comfortable-looking red chair, and she sat down across from him.

“I’m sorry,” Hux said, struggling to control his trembling. “I know my showing up here is very sudden, and I don’t mean to interfere in your life. But, as you can likely understand, I have a lot of questions that I was hoping you could answer. I wanted —“

Anaelynn stood up abruptly and walked away, into a little room. Hux sat there numbly, wondering if it had been a mistake, to come. He was about to get up and leave, when she came back in. She had two cups of tea in her hand, and she handed one to Hux.

“Tea always helps to calm my nerves,” she explained, her lips trembling slightly as she took a sip from her cup. “I’m sorry; I’m just in shock right now. I’ve dreamt of this day for so long, and now that it’s here ... how did you ever find me?”

Hux explained about his aunts letter, as well as his father’s recent death.

“Brendol ...”, she murmured, sadly shaking her head. “Too many things, to feel about that man.”

“I agree,” Hux said, nodding. “But Brendol isn’t really who I’m here to talk about. I want to know about you. Where have you been, all this time? Why were you with my father at all? Why ... why did you leave me?”

Anaelynn set down her teacup and sighed. 

“It’s a long story, and a painful one. But you deserve to hear it, Armitage.”

— -

“I met Brendol Hux around the time I was 17 years old,” she began, softly. “His family was one of the wealthiest in all of Arkanis, and around this time, Brendol had inherited one of the family estates and was living on his own. I was hired to work for him, that summer. We were both young but he was much more advanced than I was in life. His father had already sent him to the best schools, and, by the time I joined his staff, he was already positioned to take over a senate seat as a representative from Arkanis.”

“What did you do for him?”

“I worked in the kitchen, alongside two other girls. But your father ... it was as if, right from the beginning, he had a fixation with me. He started coming into the kitchen to talk to me, specifically ME, on the days I would be working. Praising the meals he knew that I’d personally prepared. Complimenting me if I wore my hair differently, or had on a different scent. As a young woman, that’s flattering, you know; to have somebody treating you that way.”

Here she paused, her eyes turning soft as she smiled. “Brendol could be quite charming, back then. Always knew exactly the right things to say, or do.”

She looked up at her son, her tone turning almost apologetic as she went on: “But still, I held back. I believed that there was no way that someone with his background would want somebody like me. But Brendol ... was persistent. When he decided that he wanted something, he was relentless in pursuing it.”

Hux nodded, taking another sip of his tea. He knew that aspect of his father far too well; he had been witness to it his entire life.

“Anyway, after about a year of a mainly one-sided courtship, I responded back to him. As a general rule, I don’t believe in blaming others for the choices that you make yourself; but it would be untruthful to not admit that my mother had a huge role, in my turning. Our family had been poor for generations, and she saw Brendol’s interest as the thing that could possibly elevate us.”

“Did you love him?”

She bit her lower lip, then nodded. “I did. I believed the sweet things he said, and was proud of the gifts he gave me. And when he proposed one night ... my entire family was ecstatic.”

Here she shook her head, smoothing a lock of hair back behind her ear.

“Looking back on it after all these years, I realize that I should have given more thought to it. I should have been able to see the manipulative way Brendol was with the people in his life, and I should have seen that, once we had married, he didn’t really look at me as being his partner, his wife; I was his property.”

Hux nodded, that familiar feeling of deja vu pouring over him once more.

“About a year after we married, we moved from Arkanis to Coruscant, where he would be closer to the senate. He became obsessed, for lack of a better term, with projecting an image of perfection to his new peers. His household was meticulously clean, he wore the finest clothing ... and his wife, well. He controlled everything I did, Armitage. From what I ate, to my wardrobe, to what I was allowed to say or do in public. There were so many times I contacted my mother, telling her I wanted to come back home to her ... but she became furious if I even mentioned my unhappiness. The family had finally obtained a respectable place in society, and Brendol had bought them a new home, the newest travel ships, he had given one of my uncles a job as an adviser on his campaign team... she didn’t intend to lose all that just because her ‘brat’ daughter was being ungrateful for what she had.”

“That must have been a nightmare for you,” Hux said, closing his eyes.

“It was. But then something happened that changed everything.”

“What?”

“I found out I was having you,” she said, smiling. “I was happy, but I was also panicked. I couldn’t imagine bringing up an innocent child with Brendol. So one night, I just ... I ran away. I know, now, how foolish that was, but at the time my hormones were running wild and my mind was clouded, and it seemed like the best possible choice. And I was successful at it, for a while. I hitched a ride on a freighter to Tatooine, and spent my time working in the kitchen of a little cantina, in exchange for food, and a small room above the building. It was cramped, but Maker help me, it was the first time in a long time that I felt happy. That I felt ... I felt ...

“You felt free,” Hux finished for her.

“Exactly. Free. But freedom didn’t last. Your father had sent out spies for months, looking for me, and they tracked me down right after you were born. You and I were taken back to Coruscant, and your father ... he used every bit of his influence, to ruin me. He allowed me to stay until you were about 3, to nurse you and care for you. But after that, he claimed that I was mentally unfit, and even paid off a mental health professional to examine me and make that determination. He divorced me, of course, and told me that he was retaining sole custody of you.”

She stopped here, to wipe the tears out of her eyes before she continued.

“I tried to fight it, but you have to understand, HE had all of the cards. I had nothing. He threatened to take away everything he had given to my parents, to destroy my family name. Eventually he bargained that if he sent me a certain amount of money every month, it would be enough to keep my family afloat, and would be ‘decent compensation’, as he put it, for giving up my son.”

Hux sat quietly, letting his mother’s words sink in. So much of what she had told him, he understood. But still ...

“You never tried to contact me? I know you said that father would have cut off your money supply if you had, and you had your parents to take care of, but I can’t help but ask ...”

“I came to see you, once, when you were about 10 years old,” she said, softly. “Your aunt Char, who was always sympathetic to me, told me that you were graduating primary school, and I wanted to see you. I was at that party your grandmother gave for you, on Arkanis. I disguised myself with a wig and loose clothes, and stood in the kitchen with the staff, so that Brendol wouldn’t see me. You came into the kitchen, because you had spilled punch on your shirt. Remember? I helped you to clean the stain, and you were so sweet, so polite to me. Nothing at all like how the rest of his family treated the help. You called me ‘ma’am’, and you told me about how excited you were, about going to the Academy in the fall.”

Hux sat there, stunned. He perfectly remembered the event his mother was describing, and he was shocked, that he had been that close to her, without even knowing it.

“I’ll be honest; a good part of the reason why I had come was so that I could steal you away with me. But ... but seeing you so polite, so intelligent and articulate, and obviously well-dressed and fed... I would have had nothing to offer you, I couldn’t have given you the social or the educational advantages your father could.”

Hux nodded, aware that his eyes were starting to feel prickly, as well.

“I know I can’t make up for not being there. I wouldn’t blame you, if you walked out of here and never spoke to me again. But, if it makes a difference to you, I want you to know that I never touched a bit of that money Brendol sent me, for myself. Half of it went to my parents,” she said, getting up and going to a little drawer. She pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to him. “The other half, I put into an account, for you.”

Hux looked; the amount of credits written as being in the account was staggering.

“And I need you to know something else,” she continued, softly. “I never, ever stopped loving you, son. Not once. I had always dreamt that you’d come to find me one day, so that I could give that to you, so that I could explain myself to you. I ... I don’t know, if you’d be interested in getting to know me, when it’s been so many years, but ...”

Hux got up, crossed the room and threw his arms around her, hard. They were both crying, but there was nothing sad about their tears.

“Mom,” he said, calling her that for the first time since he had gotten there, “There is so much I have to tell you.”

— -

Hux and his mother talked all afternoon, into the evening, sharing with each other the things that had been missed. Each time that Hux had thought he’d told her everything, something else would pop into his mind, and he’d start talking about that.

And Anaelynn’s life was interesting, as well. Hux’s earliest memories of her had always involved her singing, and there was good reason for that; she was a talented songstress. She had never tried to make a career out of this (although she easily could have), but instead made a modest living by giving singing, lute, and vibrano lessons.

“I used to sing you that song all the time when you were a toddler. Remember? _Sing low, sweet bird, over the gentle skies ..._ ”

“ _Fly down to the children, sleeping, below, to bring them their lullabies,”_ Hux finished with a smile. “I remember.”

At some point, a low, timid-sounding knock sounded on the door. It was Ben, and Hux was a little surprised to see him, and that so much time had passed.

Ben knew, without asking, that their meeting had gone well. Hux was glowing, and he had a look of serenity that Ben couldn’t remember ever having seen before.

“Mom, this is Ben,” Hux said, holding Ben’s hand as he introduced them. “He’s the one I told you about.”

Anaelynn kissed Ben’s cheek, with a smile. “I’m so happy to meet you, Ben. Every other word out of Armitage’s mouth has been about you; it’s lovely to connect a face to the name.”

Ben blushed. “Thank you, ma’am. It’s good to meet you, too.”

To Hux, he said, “Dad is on the Falcon. Are you ready to go?”

Hux nodded. He took both of his mother’s hands into his, and kissed her cheek. 

“This isn’t it, is it? I can ... I can come back here, to see you again?”

“You can come back here at any time of the day, night, season, month, hour, son. We still have a lot to talk about.”

“And you have to come see us, as well,” Ben supplied. “My mother would kill me if I didn’t extend an invitation to you, to come to our home on Coruscant. Next weekend, maybe? For dinner? She’s a really good cook, and my father would be more than happy to pick you up and bring you, if you need transportation.”

“Thank you, Ben. I look forward to that.”

She turned back to Hux, and said, softly, “And I look forward to seeing you again, son. Now, forgive me for sounding like a ‘mom’, but this is my first opportunity to do this, so: when you get back home, I expect a holocall, so that I know you arrived safely. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hux answered, laughing and kissing his mother once more. “Goodbye.”

Hux didn’t think that it would be possible, to feel any happier than he did right then. He finally, _finally_ had the answers to the questions he had wondered about his whole life. His had succeeded in throwing off the very last constraint his father had cast over his life, and he was free to begin a relationship with his mother. His mother, who very clearly loved him, and wanted to be a part of his life.

He was leaving her now, but he would be back. And he was going home to another family, who also loved and cared for him.

And he was holding hands with the best person in the entire galaxy.

The one who had encouraged him to make this journey in the first place.

The one who had taken care of him, the one who had helped repair Hux’s soul during his darkest days.

The one who ...

The one.

As Ben and Hux walked to the ship, Ben noticed the little piece of paper sticking out of Hux’s shirt pocket, the one that contained the details of the account his mother put aside for him.

“What’s that?”, he asked, pointing.

 _It’s enough money for me to hold on to, until you’re done training with your uncle,_ Hux thought to himself. _It’s enough for me to buy a really nice ring, to propose to you with. It’s enough to buy a small house, to start a life together that’s full of love and laughing and visiting parents and children, and waking up to each other every single day for the rest of our lives._

But rather than saying all this, Hux just squeezed Ben’s hand, and said, “I’ll tell you about it later.”


End file.
